SPECIALISTS

If you require treatment by a specialist (médecin correspondent) you generally need to be referred by your primary doctor (médecin traitant) in order to be eligible for the reimbursement of fees.

A referral is required for many common treatments, including physiotherapy, laboratory examinations and X-rays. However, you do not need a referral for certain kinds of specialists, including gynaecologists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists and dentists.

The consultation fee for a médecin correspondant is reimbursed at the standard rate if you have been referred by a médecin traitant. However, certain specialist services are not covered by the social security system (Sécurité Sociale). Routine dental treatment is usually reimbursed, but more extensive work will be reimbursed at a lower rate. Ophthalmology fees are covered, but not the cost of new glasses. In such situations it is worth having a complementary private health insurance scheme (mutuelle) that covers at least part of the remaining fees.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

In France, alternative therapies are widely used. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 75% of French people use acupuncture, homeopathy or osteopathy at some point in their lives. These alternative treatments are recognised by the public health insurance fund (Assurance Maladie), but many specialists charge additional fees (honoraires libres), so only a small percentage of the fees are reimbursed by the state.

Other forms of specialist healthcare, including chiropractors, psychologists and psychoanalysts, are not covered at all by the Sécurité Sociale, but may be covered to some degree by one of the mutuelle schemes.