If you’ve moved to France, you’ll know there are lots of new things to get to grips with, including your access to the French health care system. This provides access to medical treatment and support, including doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, and, if necessary, hospital treatment. The French health care system is likely not the same as the one you were used to before, so it’s important to understand what you need to do to ensure you can get the health care you need. With this in mind, we asked the team at FAB French Insurance to explain the essentials of French healthcare and why you need top-up health insurance in France.

Overview of the French healthcare system

The French medical system is a hybrid model funded by social security contributions, employer payments and patient co-payments. There are two main aspects of the system that you need to be aware of:

• Public healthcare (Assurance Maladie) is the state-run part of the system. It covers a large portion of medical expenses, from doctor visits to hospital stays. However, it doesn’t cover everything.
• Private healthcare (Mutuelle). This private top-up insurance plan covers additional costs and certain aspects of health care not reimbursed or covered by Assurance Maladie./li>

Who is eligible for French public healthcare?

Another thing to consider is whether you are eligible for public healthcare in France, as not everyone is. You will be eligible if you are:

• An employee working in France
• A self-employed individual
• A student
• Retirees residing in France with residency permit.
• Long-term visa holders who have lived in France for at least three months

If you are not eligible, you will need to arrange private health care cover – this includes those moving to France on a visa.

Why you need top-up health insurance in France

In France, public health insurance does not cover the full cost of medical services upfront. Instead, it operates on a reimbursement system, where patients initially pay for their treatment and later receive partial or full refunds from Sécurité Sociale based on standardised rates according to an index called BRSS (Base de Remboursement de la Sécurité Sociale).
The reimbursement rate depends on the type of medical service received. The Sécurité Sociale applies a fixed reimbursement percentage to the official base rate for each medical act.
As a rule of thumb, the reimbursement rates for different medical services are as follows (but these rates can, and do, change):

• General practitioner visits: 70%
• Specialist consultations: 70%
• Prescription medications: 15% to 100%
• Hospitalisation (up to 30 days): 80%
• Long-term illness treatments: 100%

The remaining costs, known as co-payments, can be covered by a Mutuelle (top-up health insurance).

Making sure you can afford treatment

So, while the state-run element of the French healthcare system (Assurance Maladie) does cover a large portion of medical expenses, it won’t necessarily fully reimburse you. What’s more, there are certain things that the state-run system won’t fund at all, or you may have to pay for some or all of your treatment, for instance, dental care.

What does a Mutuelle cover?

As mentioned above, the state-run health care system does not cover various things. This is where your private cover steps in and provides cover for:

• The remaining percentage not covered by Assurance Maladie
• Dental care (which is only partially covered by public insurance)
• Optical care (glasses, contact lenses)
• Private hospital rooms and additional specialist fees

How do I get cover?

It is common for French people to have top-up insurance to ensure that healthcare doesn’t leave them out of pocket. Various levels are available, and it’s not as expensive as private healthcare.

A legal requirement

One last point—for those moving to or living in France and not yet in possession of a residency permit, private health insurance is a mandatory requirement. When it comes to applying for a visa, 82% of failed visa applications are turned down because of a lack of insurance. You need a specific type of insurance, not just general cover.

FAB French insurance are a team of experts who provide advice and personalized insurance services to make your move to France stress-free – before you arrive when applying for the visa, and after you arrive pending your carte de sejour being issued. Their private health insurance brokers will find you the best deal, and their English-speaking team are friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.

Find out more and get a quote at: FAB French insurance

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