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The healthcare system in France is highly praised for its high quality and the level of accessibility it offers to patients. It was ranked number one in the world by The World Health Organization (WHO) in the year 2000 and to this day it is regarded as one of the best overall healthcare systems worldwide. Read on to find out more!
The French Health System is considered one of the bests in the world, you can also expect to have long wait times for treatment, as well as some treatments may not be covered. To decide whether to opt for private health insurance in France, consider factors such as your budget, medical history, and lifestyle.
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By law, all residents in France must have some form of health insurance, whether private or a state health insurance scheme. The ‘main’ Healthcare system in France is a state-controlled social security system known as L’assurance Maladie or sécurité-sociale (Sécu). Aside from that, there is a voluntary health insurance system known as assurance complémentaire provided through mutual organisations and private insurers.
Since January 2016, the Protection Universelle Maladie (PUMA) has replaced the previous Couverture Universelle Maladie (CMU) foreigners in France. However, The CMU-Complémentaire, which is for people on a low income who pay no fees, remains in place. In order to be eligible for coverage under the state health care system (PUMA); you need to be either employed or living in France on a stable and ongoing basis for more than three months.
While you can benefit from the PUMA, the application process can take up to 6 months, and during this period you should be covered by private health insurance.
French State healthcare is funded by 3 sources. Healthcare in France is partly funded by contributions of its Residents to the social security system, by the government and by fees charged at the point of treatment. Contributions to the social security system are deducted from salaries as “general taxes“.
Registration with l’assurance maladie when in France is essential. This will not only give you access to Health services in France, but it is also a way to obtain reimbursement of costs spent on healthcare. With proof of employment (income), identity and legal residence as well as documents such as birth and/or Marriage certificates, you need to go to the Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) to register. You will have to ask your employer whether they will take care of these formalities for you, or whether you have to do it on your own.
After your registration with the CPAM, you can get the national insurance card called the Carte Vitale. This card facilitates your reimbursements and avoids you from having to pay upfront for certain healthcare services. This card will need to be presented at each healthcare appointment, whether it is at the doctors or at a pharmacy. Getting this card can take some time, so, you can request for an “attestation de couverture sociale” until you get the card. Registration with l’assurance maladie does not automatically guarantee you a carte vitale, so, remember to ask for it and follow up on it until you get it.
As previously mentioned, when you are registered with l’assurance maladie you can get reimbursements for costs spent on Healthcare. However, it is important to know that not all costs will be fully reimbursed. For that reason, you can choose to get extra coverage with the top-up health insurance (l’assurance complémentaire santé) often organised by a ‘mutual society’ mutuelle or private health insurers.
Whilst France has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, this is in some way to be expected since France allocates around 10% of its gross national income to its healthcare system. This is one of the highest rates for healthcare in the world! If you want a more general overview of what you need to know for moving to France, check out our other articles online!
