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Getting Glivec free whilst abroad

Does anyone know whether you can get Glivec free abroad? My partner and I live on a sailing boat and are thinking of going to Europe for some time - more than just a quick visit - and I am wondering how I can get my Glivec free whilst away. Do I have to take out private medical insurance to cover the cost of the Glivec? I couldn't possibly afford to pay for them. The EHIC card is only valid if you are going away for a short visit, not if you are going to stay abroad for some time. My specialist can give me a supply for a few months but as you will be aware, I have to have fairly regular blood checks. The NHS rules say that if you go away for more than three months you are no longer regarded as a resident in the UK and no longer entitled to free NHS care but that this is only a guideline and at the end of the day it is up to the hospital where you are treated! So I don't want to lose my entitlement to free NHS care.

I would be very grateful for any help you can give me on this.

Thanks.

Louise Pim

Dear Louise,
this might be complicated and of course it depends on whether you are going to work etc.

take a look at the following website as it might have helpful information for you.
www.frenchentree.com

Sandy

Hi Louise

We sort of looked at this a few years ago - we were thinking of going to live in the sun and naively thought that healthcare would be provided so long as we stayed within the EU. It turns out that nothing is guaranteed and certainly not the provision of "free" Glivec I'm afraid. Once you become OAP's the situation does ease slightly - but if you are under normal retirement age you might as well forget it unless you already have private healthcare in place. More and more countries are tightening up on the healthcare they will actually provide through reciprocal agreements with the UK and yes, you may well get "treatment" for CML - but it won't necessarily be Glivec.
I would strongly suggest that you get it in writing from the good folks at Newcastle as to whether it would be funded wherever you land. There are lots of different forms to be completed and I'm not entirely up to date with them all, but they will advise you.
Don't be too disheartened and keep your dreams alive - but do your research before you take off. Bon Voyage !

Hi Louise,
your question is hard to answer.
I've been living here in France for 18 years & have been working and am married to a Frenchman, this means that I qualify for medical cover like most other people do. When I leave the country for holidays or visits I always fill out the european medical cover form, apart from when I come to the Uk - myself & my children have been seen a couple of times by the NHS.
I always take my medication with me.
I think that you should ask your hospital to provide as much medication as possible to take with you. for blood tests etc. you could probably get them done in private laboratories ( there are loads of them over here) if you had a letter/prescription from you dr, but you'd have to pay for them. When I was first dx & went up to Brittany on holiday - I needed blood tests twice a week - these were faxed to my dr, but it was all taken care of by my medical cover.
Do you know exactly where you'll be going on your trip? many of the european experts know eachother so maybe you'd be able to find one who'd be willing to check you out as a favour to his colleague? Before Sprycel was available in the UK my dr was willing to enroll patients from the Uk in his clinical trials & I know that dr Hocchaus in germany took someone from the Uk too, so maybe there'd be a way, but you'd have to sort it all out before leaving.
I hope this helps,

Barbara

Hi Louise
I didn't make it clear that we only had experience of obtaining healthcare when not working abroad. In our case we had taken early retirement and discovered some big potholes. Barbara (Hi Barbs!)has made some suggestions that might be worth investigating.
Are you planning to sail around in your boat (sounds great) or just using it as a base in any particular country?
When I mentioned Newcastle - I of course meant the place that the EHIC is issued from - not anyone, in general, from Newcastle!! (Knowledgable as they are - ooh, getting into deep water here......)

Bee

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for getting back to me on this. Which medical cover do you suggest? I have found out that Medici Travel cover people with Leukaemia but they do not cover the cost of Glivec. My specialist has said that he could probably give me six months' supply. I suppose I can just come back for blood tests and pick up some more pills. My partner is early retired and I am 58. We are probably going to France for a few months this summer so getting Glivec won't be a problem this year, but next year we might want to go down to Portugal and stay there for the winter or longer, so I am wondering what to do then. It all seems to be rather complicated! I suppose the NHS can't exactly just cut off my Glivec just because I am going away for a bit. We have properties in England and are UK citizens. We are not going to sell up and take up citizenship in another country, we just want to go off and explore! If you can come up with any more advice I would be grateful. Can you suggest some good medical insurers?

Louise

Hi Bee,

Thanks for your reply. My partner is early retired and I am 58. We are planning on going to France for a few months this summer, so getting Glivec won't be a problem this year, but next year we may go down to Portugal and spend the winter there or longer. Medici Travel Insurance has been recommended for people with Leukaemia but they do not cover the cost of medication. Can you suggest any good insurers? My specialist can supply me with several months' supply of Glivec, so I guess I just go on having my blood tests and collecting my pills from the UK. We are not thinking of selling up or becoming citizens of another country. I think the EHIC card only covers you for short trips abroad. I am not sure how long you can go away for before it becomes invalid. I will ring them as you suggest.

Thanks.

Louise

Hi Louise
If you can get 6 months supply from your local pharmacy - then go for it. We can't seem to access more than 1 month at a time nowadays. (See my earlier posts on this very subject) We do usually like to find the sun ourselves during the winter months and have been told that 2 months will be the max we can acquire in one go in future, even though our consultant is more than happy to write prescriptions for 3 months. It may be sensible for you to budget for a regular 3 month return to the UK and then of course there should be no problems accessing the NHS for your Glivec and tests.
Travel Insurance is always a hot potato on this site - there used to be a section on it somewhere??
Bee

Hello again Barbara,

I have now found out that the EHIC card will allow us to go away at any time over a period of five years and still be entitled to free NHS care when we come back to England. Apparently, it is only if you emigrate that you are not entitled to NHS free care. This seems to conflict with the NHS guidelines for going away which states that you can only go away for up to three months and then your entitlement to free NHS care is cancelled! Things have got a bit muddled up somewhere along the line. Therefore, I will be able to take a good supply of Glivec with me and keep going for my blood tests in the UK when I come back. However, I wondered how much Glivec tablets cost as if I was treated in Europe and had to get some more Glivec whilst away, I would have to pay for them up front and then claim back the cost from the UK. Do you have any idea how much they cost?

Thanks,

Louise

Hi Bee,

I have now found out that we can go abroad at any time and use the EHIC card to cover us for five years and still be eligible for free NHS care when we come back to the UK. So I can take a good supply of Glivec with me and continue to come back for my blood tests etc. This conflicts with the guideline on the NHS website for going abroad which states that if you go away for more than three months you are no longer considered a resident of the UK and therefore not entitled to free NHS care! The EHIC people say that it is only if you emigrate that you are not entitled to free care. Things have got a bit muddled up somewhere! However, if I needed care in Europe whilst there and needed more Glivec, I would have to pay up front for them and claim back the cost from the UK. So I wondered how much they would cost? Have you any idea or know the best place for finding out? Maybe I should email my specialist.

Thanks,

Louise

My partner and I are going abroad in the summer to France for a few months and maybe to Portugal for longer next year. I can take my Glivec with me but under the EHIC rules, if I need to be treated or need more medication whilst abroad, I would have to pay up front first and then claim back the expense from the UK health authorities. Does anyone know how much a box of Glivec costs?

Louise

Louise

Glivec 400mg is approx. 70 pounds, give or take PER TABLET.

It works out at around 2000 pounds per month or 24, 000 pounds per year for 400mg.

regards

Susan

We were also given plenty of conflicting advice. Considering the high cost of Glivec - I'd get it in writing that you will be refunded.
Bee

Susan - Thanks for that info. Is that in America? I wonder whether the price in Europe is different. Are you in the medical profession or are you a patient who has to pay for Glivec? We can get it free in the UK on the NHS. If we go to Europe we can use our EHIC card but will have to pay up front for the medication and get reimbursed from England.

Louise

Louise

I am in the UK, I was on glivec and am now post transplant. Yes, obviously patients don't now pay anything for the glivec but that is the price that Novarits sell it to the NHS.

I do in fact work for the NHS but nothing to do with drugs or haematology! I can double check the price next week when I am back at work but I am certain that the cost is within the ball park figure above.

You don't really want to be laying out for the glivec. It would max out your credit card for sure.

Susan

Glivec costs 2518 euros a box here (about 80 euros) per tablet.
I've been living here in France for 18 years & when I was in the UK in 2007 & fell ill with diarrhoea & vomiting, I was seen by the local medical centre without a problem. I also took my daughter to A&E when she fell & banged her head in 2002.