We have been in CH (Vaud) since the summer and have all our healthcare sorted out. We are currently considering a place we have been offered in France (Gex) and researching our options and obligations. I can see from past threads this is not a new topic. However most people asking what they should/could do seem not to be EU citizens. I know my husband's permit would change from B to G. Me and the kids are EU citizens so I guess we can live in France no problem. He can either keep his insurance or get a frontalier insurance....but what about me and the kids? Do we/can we keep the Swiss insurance? Other threads refer to Gex as a 'medical desert'....does this mean we are better off sticking with the Swiss insurance? But would we be needing to go to CH for all healthcare issues - what about emergencies? I have contacted our insurance advisor for her take on things if we were to move but I wondered if there were any EU citizens post June 2014 who could enlighten me on their experiences?

Part of me thinks we should just choose the French social security - that's the closest to the NHS we are used to but I dont want to be naive about how it compares. Some threads speak really highly of the french system but then there's this 'medial desert' malarky mentioned. I presume me and the kids will need to make some contributions in France to be able to access the social security?

Any thoughts very much welcomed.

Anyone around who can help?

you must have strong guts moving to France and to become a frontalier. Haven't you read about all possible immigration limitations? With a frontalier permit, which only runs for 5 years, you may find yourself subject to quotas and with less priority than swiss residents if you lose your job or look for a new one. Not to speak about all taxes the french government has put in place (inheritance, social security, etc). Your kids won't be able to attend swiss schools and likely, university as minimal grades have dramatically increased for french baccalaureat holders. And yes, there isn't anything in terms of infrastructure in Pays de Gex. Public transport? Hospitals? Doctors? What?

Bonne chance.

We definitely have guts We dont have long term designs on Switzerland....not least of all because of the state education system....which I *definitely* dont want my kids a part of when things get serious. We are teachers and plan on travelling the world with our kids to give them a real education....if they want to go to uni I'm reasonably confident it won't be in France and definitely not CH!

Any advice relating to my questions on healthcare? I take it you're *not* a frontalier.....

Cheapest swiss insurance for frontaliers is Progres (owned by Helsana). Coverage is with free choice of practicer in Switzerland and France.

French basic health care "Secu" provides very basic minimal cover. Pretty well all French take out supplementary cover in one form or another. The "Secu" will probably not cover treatment in Switzerland and remember that the nearest big hospitals in France are a long way away (Annecy, Grenoble, Lyon). There's a chronic shortage of family doctors in France and many will not take on new patients.
Premiums are based on salary and (from 2016) will be at 8% of the salary, whilst premiums on Swiss health insurance are not income dependent. For a Swiss salary, 8% is a very high premium.

You can do the calculations about what CMU will cost you on the frontalier.org website and you can calculate on comparis.ch what Lamal would cost you (you need to take the franchise into account). It's true that Gex is not dense in hospitals but I believe there is a new one now in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois. If Lamal is not too expensive I would keep what you currently have so you can go to Hopital de la Tour, which is on the border.

Thank you to everyone who took time to reply - really appreciate it. We are pleased to have found a place in Switzerland so hopefully things will be more straightforward for us! All very helpful and interesting info tho