Early retirees to get health cover

Early-retiree expats to gain access to French healthcare more easily

The French parliament has made it easier for early-retiree expats to access health cover in France.

The move comes following pressure from the European Commission. The Commission believes that France has breached European law by denying healthcare privileges to Europeans who are under the state pension age and who have moved to France without having worked there and with no plans to do so. Early retirees moving to France have been required to spend five years’ residence in the country before assuming health cover rights. In the meantime, early retirees were advised by French authorities to take out private policies to fulfil the legal requirement for all people living in France of having a health cover.

The French Ministry of Health will now distribute new guidelines on the right to access to the couverture maladie universelle (CMU). The CMU is the system through which healthcare is provided to those who haven’t accumulated rights through employment.

Cristina Arigho, the EU spokesperson, says: “Franc is on the way to publish a circular before the summer break that opens access to CMU on the basis of Regulation 883/2004.” This European Parliament regulation concerns the coordination of social security schemes. Mrs Arigho goes on to say: “As soon as the circular will be in application, the Commission will then close the infringement. However, it will monitor closely the application of the new circular.”