Hearing aid take-up soars in France following 100% reimbursement scheme

Efforts to give more people access to fully-funded glasses, dental equipment and hearing aids have been hailed a success, with the latter proving particularly popular.

A government reform, called 100% Santé, launched in 2019 with the aim of providing quality hearing aids, glasses and dental prostheses that are completely covered by a combination of the Assurance Maladie state health insurance system and most top-up health insurance policies.

These were identified as healthcare areas where many people previously went without or had large out-of-pocket costs.

Read more: How to get a free pair of glasses in France

Hearing aids boost

The reform took until 2021 to be put in place for all three fields and so far hearing aids have been the area where sales of equipment have risen the most.

From 2019 and 2021, numbers who bought them rose by 75% and four out of 10 chose a product from the 100% Santé range, a study by government research body Drees found.

“It is an excellent reform,” said Luis Godinho, vice-president of the hearing aid practitioners’ union. “Its success is related to remaining out-of-pocket expen­ses. Before the reform people coming to get fitted were looking at €500, €1,500, even €2,000.”

For dentures, take-up rose by 17%, with six in 10 patients choosing from the range.

Less than a fifth of people chose glasses from those offered in 100% Santé, however top-up health insurance already (prior to the reform) typically gave better cover for glasses than hearing aids or dental equipment with most people who had a policy being able to get equipped satisfactorily.

Only one in 10 people with top-ups are estimated to have previously had inferior coverage to what is now on offer for glasses, Drees estimates. 

This is compared to eight out of 10 for dental and hearing aid coverage, leading to the conclusion that 100% Santé is “significantly more important” for dental equipment and hearing aids.

Read more: Access to physiotherapists, nurses, and opticians now easier in France

Health insurance cover

To use the scheme, patients must have a top-up health insurance contract that is labelled ‘responsible’ (which 95% are) and choose from a range of 100% Santé equipment. This is guaranteed to be good quality, though not necessarily the most high-end models and not including, for example, designer brand glasses.

It is possible to be partially reimbursed for choices that fall outside the range.

100% Santé covers the costs of metal-ceramic dentures, dental bridges, class A glasses and class A hearing aids. Class A equipment has a maximum legal price and conforms to European regulations, whereas class B equipment has no ceiling.

Opticians must offer at least 17 class A models for adults and 20 class A models for children.

Big saving

Before the reform, an average hearing aid cost €1,500 (per ear) of which Assurance Maladie and top-up insurers would cover around €650, meaning the patient would be left to pay €850. 

Since the reform, patients can choose a hearing aid from the 100% Santé range and pay around €950, which is then entirely reimbursed by Assurance Maladie and the patient’s top-up.

The reform also emphasises prevention, with free checks ups for children and for young adults at various stages of life. 

Read more: What dental work is covered with the 100% Santé scheme in France?