PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE

In addition to being covered by the French social security system (Sécurité Sociale), many people take out a form of private health insurance (mutuelle), which will reimburse most, if not all of the medical fees that are not covered by the state.

There are many different kinds of mutuelle schemes: some are restricted to specific professions, others are geared towards English speakers. If you work for a company in France, your employer may already have an arrangement with a particular mutuelle scheme that you will be able to join. The fees will be deducted automatically from your salary every month.

Most mutuelle schemes reimburse the outstanding 30% of general healthcare costs, including emergency hospital treatment. Some schemes also offer partial or total reimbursement of prescription charges. The exact amount and percentage of medical expenses reimbursed varies from scheme to scheme.

If your income is below a certain threshold and you do not have a mutuelle scheme, you can still be eligible for a form of complementary healthcare funded entirely by the state (couverture maladie universelle or CMU complémentaire). This will cover the remainder of the fees not reimbursed by the Sécurité Sociale.