I've been without any kind of health insurance for more than six months. Before that I had travel insurance which would have covered me for any emergency health care. I have a Carte de Sejour (French resident permit) and my husband is working full time and paying tax, so I am (or should be) entitled to health care in this country.
The thing is, I can't get a Carte Vitale (French health care card) until my husband gets his, presumably because he's a British citizen and I'm not. So I've been waiting for him to get his social security number and then the carte vitale.
Of course, being France, nothing is easy. Ferbent has been working for 8 or 9 months, all the while paying tax and social security contributions, without a social security number. They said he couldn't get it until he proves that he is a British citizen. He showed his passport and naturalisation certificate but that wasn't enough. They needed to see his birth certificate, even though he wasn't born in the UK. He doesn't have one so they refused to issue him with a carte vitale.
After numerous letters and phone calls, many of which were made by his French employer, they still refused. Arnold at Foreign Perspectives recommended citing European law which allows the freedom of movement of EU citizens. This seemed to be our last chance but I hadn't bothered.
Surprisingly, Ferbent received his social security number in the mail today with a note saying the carte vitale is on it's way and he should receive it in the next few days (which could really mean the next few weeks or months). In the mean time he can quote this number if he has to go to the doctor or for any other medical treatment.
I don't know why they changed their mind and gave it to him but I'm so glad they did. I didn't want to have to keep pushing them.
So now I should be able to quote his social security number, show my marriage certificate and birth certificate (or course), and I'll have my carte vitale. I'm sure they won't make it that easy for me but fingers crossed.
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2 comments:
One additional complication in France is that the social security number is what would be called elsewhere your healthcare number. So, the number printed on your Carte Vitale is your social security number.
The French equivalent to what everyone else calls a social security number is called an allocataire number and is issued by the CAF (who pay the equivalent of child benefit etc.).
Arnold
I figured that number was the health care card number but I thought it was for his tax and social security too because he doesn't seem to have that yet.
I guess we'll have to keep waiting for that one.
Thanks for your comments. All these little things I have to deal with get me down sometimes. Hopefully, in time there will be fewer problems and I'll feel more settled.
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