Health Services: France

(asked on 12th September 2018) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the letters sent to British pensioners residing in France by Caisse Nationale de l'Assurance Maladie informing them that their access to French healthcare system ends on 29 March 2019.


Answered by
Steve Barclay Portrait
Steve Barclay
Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
This question was answered on 15th October 2018

The Withdrawal Agreement provides that reciprocal healthcare should continue until the end of the Implementation Period (until 31 December 2020) and provides longer-term rights for people covered by the Withdrawal Agreement.

The United Kingdom Government has made good progress in negotiations on the Citizens’ Rights section of the Withdrawal Agreement. This will provide reassurance regarding healthcare cover to the many UK nationals who have made their lives in other European Union countries.

The UK Government remains focused on securing a broader agreement with the EU on reciprocal healthcare rights as part of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. It has made clear the White Paper of June 2018, ‘The Future Relationship Between the United Kingdom and the European Union’, that it is seeking agreement on reciprocal healthcare cover for state pensioners retiring to the EU or the UK, continued participation in the European Health Insurance Card scheme and cooperation on planned medical treatment.

The UK Government is confident that getting a good deal that works for both the EU and the UK is, by far, the most likely outcome. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, as a responsible Government we are preparing for every eventuality and, in the absence of a deal, we are considering a range of contingency plans. We plan to ensure that the safety of both UK and EU patients is protected in all scenarios, including no deal.

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