Type 1 moving to "The Alps" e.g. Austria, France, Germany or Switzerland

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Klang180

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Type 1
Hello

I am a type 1 diabetic living in SW England and currently have a Medtronic Pump and Freestyle Libre which i get free on the NHS. I love both of these and pay for nothing but have recently been considering moving to the Alps to either Austria, France, Germany or Switzerland but worry first and foremost about my diabetes medication.

Does anyone have any experience or knowledge of what it is like to obtain medication and treatment in any of these countries? I am fairly well controlled and do not really benefit from the advice from my diabetes specialist or local surgery but of course do NEED my medication. I would ideally like to stay on a pump and the Libre (semi-CGM) but would also like to hear about pen and blood glucose strip coverage and the likely costs.

I have of course googled and found out that in these countries that most of the costs are covered but this was with a variety of different employment scenarios which may not apply to me (I work freelance but may work locally too).

I would consider splitting my time between the UK and the Alps about 50/50 if that would work but would prefer to know what it is like to fully settle and live (and perhaps become) like a citizen of that country.

Thanks for your time reading this and anything you can contribute to the discussion. If you need anymore information in order to help me please do let me know!

Thanks to everyone!
 
I’m not sure there is much absolute clarity about such things at the moment, given the last 3 years, the current election campaign and various of the options for leaving the EU and whether reciprocal arrangements will be forthcoming (as seems likely, but not quite guaranteed).

Might be worth waiting and watching for 13 months to see how the land lies in Jan 2021?
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
I’m not sure there is much absolute clarity about such things at the moment, given the last 3 years, the current election campaign and various of the options for leaving the EU and whether reciprocal arrangements will be forthcoming (as seems likely, but not quite guaranteed).

Might be worth waiting and watching for 13 months to see how the land lies in Jan 2021?
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Thanks very much for this. I think you're right but the atmosphere that has pervaded the UK since that vote it one of the biggest reasons I am now looking to move away, it's just not the same place it used to be.

Anyway, you are probably right but I was hoping I could see what people's experiences are as the situation stands as it strikes me that this could keep going and going!

Good to see a fellow 640G user, changed my life!
 
You'll get the insulin NP but you'd have to check with Medtronic to see if consumables are available in those countries. France is weird because different departements allow you to have certain drugs but not all of them. Mate with a certain type of epilepsy sees his consultant 6 monthly and she issues a 6 monthly prescription for the only available drug to treat it. She is the only specialist in France for his rare type of epilepsy. He can only get any drug dispensed in his own departement BUT they will only allow him to have 30 days supply at a time on that prescription and if he wants any more he would need another script. His specialist won't write 6 so he's between a rock and a hard place for 10 months out of every 12. Of course he's appealed to everywhere and everyone possible but rules is rules! Been going on for years.

For all I know weird things with drugs and supplies might happen elsewhere in other civilised countries.
 
Why not do your research to narrow your choice and than make a few scouting visits (holidays). I have obtained supplies in both Belgium and Germany without problem but I am a low tech Type I. At the end of the day it is Western Europe not the third world although it is heading there fast! I know a Type I in Germany and she had been pumping for nearly twenty years.
 
Just as an aside, Switzerland isn’t in the EU so not sure what their reciprocal agreement is at the moment plus it’s a very expensive place to live. I’ve just visited it on a recent European road trip and as beautiful as it was, in fact it was my favourite country out of them all visited, the price of everything from transport to food was astronomical! Good luck in your quest.
 
Quite coincidentally and nothing directly to do with the subject, we were chatting to a Swiss couple on holiday in France a couple of years ago. They lived in Basle where virtually everyone of working age worked in either France or Germany. Unless you got into the queue at the border at precisely the right time in the morning and evening, it could take you an hour or more to travel back and forth even though it was only a mile to work. They were utterly gobsmacked that we owned our own motorhome - and it wasn't the first we'd owned plus owning and running various other vehicles, due to the mind blowing prices of all vehicles in Switzerland.

They had hired their motorhome for the holiday in Germany. They were no means skint - a couple of 30-ish adults both with good, well paid jobs and no children.
 
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