Re-Claiming health charges after holiday in france

pjblink

Hi all,

I may be too late here, but am hoping somebody can advise us.

We were on holiday in france this summer, and i fell ill. It was a mix between returning hayfever, which i havn't had in years, and a virus - so the virus lingered. I also required an inhaler, which i hadn't had in years either!

I went to see a doctor, he was fantastic, and sorted me out with everything. Paid in cash. Went to the pharmacist who was also fantastic, and paid by card. For the two transactions we have two "feuille de soins" forms as receipt detailing all the charges.

Reading online i'm concerned we've missed our chance to reclaim the charges (around £80 total paid). Were we required to send them off while still abroad? It's been over a month now since we returned from holiday.

What do i do? :huh:

Thanks for any responses,

Patrick

knightstyle

You need to send the brown form plus the stickers from any prescription which can be stuck to the form and any other bills, prescription etc to the local CPAM, look in the French annuaire http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/ Some are more flexible than others. Give your UK address ans phone number.

martindow

It looks as if you can still reclaim from here. This is from the EHIC site:

Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will enable you to access state provided healthcare at a reduced cost or sometimes free. It will cover you for treatment that is needed in order to allow you to continue your stay until your planned return. It also covers you for treatment of pre-existing medical conditions and for routine maternity care provided the reason for your visit is not specifically to give birth.
How to claim refunds

Reimbursements are claimed from the local CPAM office (Caisse Primaire D‘Assurance Maladie) in France. You will need to provide the treatment form (feuille de soins), copies of receipts and prescriptions, a copy of your EHIC, your address of residence and your bank details, including IBAN and BIC. Confirmation of your refund will be sent to your home address.
If you have had to pay for the cost of your care and have been unable to claim a refund during your stay in France you should contact the Overseas Healthcare Team (Newcastle) on 0191 218 1999 (Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm) on your return to the UK. However, this process will take longer than claiming for a refund in France.

pjblink

Thanks both

I'll try the team up in Newcastle first, i have their address:

Overseas Healthcare Team (Newcastle)
Room TC001
Tyneview Park
Whitley Road
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE98 1BA

...so will go ahead and send them the forms i have. Do you think they need the originals, or would i be OK to send in photocopies of the forms (obviously a photocopy of my EHIC rather than the original!)? Also, we unfortunately can't find any receipts for the payments...i'll see what they say to that.

I'm not too bothered about the length of time it takes to claim - but i just can't stand making phone calls