Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Mr. Streeter
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will negotiate a reciprocal agreement with the French government to enable retired British citizens living in France to access French healthcare without private medical insurance;

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of British citizens living in France who will be affected by the French Government’s decision to change healthcare law;

(3) what advice he has received on the legality under EU law of the French government’s decision to change its rules regarding access to healthcare for British Citizens.

Dawn Primarolo
The position of British citizens living in France who are covered by European Union reciprocal agreements has not changed and they will still receive state provided healthcare in France. This means that retired people in receipt of United Kingdom state pension are still able to access state healthcare in France.

The changes to the French system affect early retirees from other member states including the UK who are not covered by EU regulations and have not lived in France long enough to meet their residency requirements. It is not known how many people are affected.

Health and social security systems differ in each member state. Who and what is covered is a matter for each individual state in this instance France. There are no plans to negotiate an agreement with France that goes beyond existing ones. It is critical that people consider how they will access healthcare when they move abroad.