Got a bill from French A&E for my niece

Roselondon_2

We were in France for holiday. My niece had a small accident followed with suspected signs of concussion.

We took her to the local A&E. They did not ask for the EHIC and only used her passport to register for care. She did some scans and cleaned for brain injury, but treated for a fracture on her finger.

Today, her mum received a bill from the A&E, claiming for nearly 90Euros. Since I alone accompanied my niece the entire process (I speak a bit French), my name is also shown on the letter.

It turns out my niece did have her own EHIC, but simply because it was not requested at that moment, she did not think about it.

My question is, what can we do? Shall we contact the A&E to explain she had an EHIC? Not entirely sure what to do.

Backbiter

Happened to me about ten years ago. I had both my Ehic and passport but they didn't even want to look at my Ehic.
Some weeks later I had a bill for about €120. I rang the relevant UK department for advice and was told to post the bill to them.
Not long after they returned it to me unpaid, and told me to pay it myself but send them the receipt and they'd reimburse me.
The bill asked for payment by cheque, but of course our cheques are not valid in France. I was also concerned that I'd actually receive a receipt. I decided I'd pay in person on my next visit to Paris, but haven't yet been back so the bill remains unpaid. I haven't been chased by Interpol yet.
It still bugs me that the bill was settled by the relevant UK dept. I thought that having a reciprocal health agreement with other EU countries meant they would settle up effortlessly and electronically on the patient's behalf, provided they had a valid Ehic. They must surely have systems to reimburse each other, rather than expect the patient to arrange quite awkward international payments and then deal with the bureaucracy of settling up by post.

Maybe they have now updated their ways of working, but ten years ago they seemed behind the times.

PompeyPete

This might help...

https://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/Pages/healthcareinFrance.aspx

Backbiter.....Nobody will chase you, but there is a chance that your outstanding debt will have been flagged-up on the French Immig system, and you'll be nabbed next time you go through French Passport Control.....but I could be talking through my bum.

Nick_C

90 Euros for scans and treatment sounds very cheap. I wonder if this is a the discounted rate that applies with an EHIC card?

Health care is not free in France, but an EHIC card means you pay the same as a resident.

jackieblack

Nick_C wrote: »

90 Euros for scans and treatment sounds very cheap. I wonder if this is a the discounted rate that applies with an EHIC card?

Health care is not free in France, but an EHIC card means you pay the same as a resident.

I thought exactly the same

peachyprice

Nick_C wrote: »

90 Euros for scans and treatment sounds very cheap. I wonder if this is a the discounted rate that applies with an EHIC card?

Health care is not free in France, but an EHIC card means you pay the same as a resident.

This OP. You don't get the UK equivalent in France, you get what the French get.

PompeyPete

peachyprice wrote: »

This OP. You don't get the UK equivalent in France, you get what the French get.

As per the NHS link in #3 above.

katejo

Nick_C wrote: »

90 Euros for scans and treatment sounds very cheap. I wonder if this is a the discounted rate that applies with an EHIC card?

Health care is not free in France, but an EHIC card means you pay the same as a resident.

I suspect the same. When in Italy I showed my card and wasn't charged directly at all but different countries have different policies.

littlereddevil

Sounds like a bargain. Cough up!

Katiehound

Yes, that sounds really cheap, even with my EHIC I had to pay the government levy on prescriptions which came to E10 in Ireland earlier this month.
I hasten to add the GP visits and prescriptions themselves were free- without the EHIC I think they would have amounted to over E90.

safestored4

It’s been very interesting reading this thread about the variety of charges that apply to medical treatment across Europe. It puts the howls of outrage in the Guardian and Independent earlier this week at the proposal to require people to show that they are entitled to free NHS treatment into perspective.