REIMBURSEMENT OF MEDICAL FEES

In France you will be required to pay the full bill at the time of treatment. you will be reimbursed at a later date by the public health insurance fund (Assurance Maladie).

In order to be reimbursed the maximum amount you must first have registered with a primary doctor (médecin traitant).

Anyone over the age of 18 is required to pay a fixed fee of 1 euro for undergoing any kind of treatment, blood test or medical exam. This fee will appear on all your medical bills.

Almost all doctors in France have signed an agreement with the French government that sets an upper limit on their fees. These doctors are called médecins conventionnés.

Certain specialists, called médecins conventionnés à honoraires libres, have the right to charge higher fees. Médecins non-conventionnés are doctors who have not signed an agreement with the government and whose fees are not reimbursed by the Assurance Maladie.

HOW TO GET REIMBURSED ?

Taking your carte Vitale with you to all medical consultations is the fastest way to obtain an automatic reimbursement. Otherwise you will be given a claims form (feuille de soins) that you need to send to your local health insurance centre (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie or CPAM). The CPAM will then reimburse you the required amount.

If you have a complementary health insurance scheme (mutuelle), the CPAM will forward your feuille de soins to the relevant organisation for further reimbursement.

If the doctor has written you a prescription (ordonnance), you can take this to any pharmacy to be filled. Medicine and drugs are reimbursed at a rate of between 35-65%. The pharmacy should take the details from your carte Vitale in order to ensure that you are reimbursed.