Health insurance

France residents in better health than other countries, study shows

The report found that France has particularly improved on life expectancy since 1990

Five tips to reduce cost of your top-up health insurance in France

With premiums set to rise in 2024 it makes sense to shop around

How to get a free pair of glasses in France

Opticians must recommend at least one free pair under the French 100 Santé scheme

Explainer: the CSS, France’s free or low cost top-up health insurance

Most people in France choose to ‘top up’ their healthcare cover through a private insurance provider but a system called complémentaire santé solidaire pays for this in some cases

French top-up health insurance tariffs to rise by 4.7% this year

Mutuelles say they have been affected by inflation, a rise in pay-outs and the long-term effects of the Covid pandemic

UK retirees in France report problems getting travel health insurance

Some pensioners with a UK Ehic card and S1 form tell us they found it ‘impossible’ to find holiday health cover

Pre-Brexit free health mutuelle rights lost by UK pensioners in France

Non-French EU citizen pensioners in France with S1 health forms also affected by change, but not Americans and other non-EU citizens

Travel and health coverage: How do I get French equivalent of Ehic?

We look into the carte européenne d'assurance maladie , who is eligible, how you can get one and how it works

Group buys: ways to reduce home and health insurance bills in France

Many local authorities have begun offering group contracts at lower prices to certain people within their remit, such as the over-60s

Does France’s ‘100% Santé’ scheme cover glasses without a mutuelle?

The scheme was introduced to make eye, dental and hearing aid services more affordable

Could you save money with your French commune's health insurance?

The ‘mutuelle communales’ are group top-up policies for a town - 2000 communes offer them

Transplant patient fighting for France to pay €1m US hospital bill

The 34-year-old says she received a transplant abroad only after exhausting every option in France

Transplant patient fighting for France to pay €1m US hospital bill

The 34-year-old says she received a transplant abroad only after exhausting every option in France

What health insurance do I need for a long-stay French visitor visa?

People applying for such visas need to show proof that they can cover any medical costs which arise while they are in the country

Complementary health insurance in France: what it is and how it works

These insurance policies are designed to top up the cover provided by France’s obligatory health insurance, and the vast majority of people have one

Top-ups, eye tests, online: Eight healthcare changes in France in 2022

Several changes in healthcare are already announced for 2022. We summarise eight key points

Healthcare in France: How to register an S1 when in French system?

When someone is in the French health system by residency and so are already in the system, the changeover should be simple. We explain

What no Ehic will mean for British home owners in France

British residents with second homes in France may have to look to private health insurance options if the UK and EU do not reach an agreement on the bloc’s health card.

Top-up health insurance prices to rise in France, warns federation

Mutuelles could increase by 7 to 10% in 2022 due to higher healthcare prices and an increasingly ageing population

French social security asks patients to help fight €3.6m eye test scam

Social security in France is asking for patients' help in detecting ophthalmologist fraud. We explain how you can help through your Ameli account

France to charge foreign tourists for Covid-19 tests from tomorrow

From July 7, it will cost tourists €49 for a PCR test and €29 for a rapid antigen test

French ‘top-up’ health insurance prices rising in 2021

Mutuelle providers are raising their prices by more than 4% in 2021, with one watchdog describing the price hike as 'difficult to justify'

What is changing in France in December 2020?

This month it will become much easier to change health insurers, gas prices are going up, and there are some important financial deadlines.

Britons in France can now get post-Brexit Ehic cover

British state pensioners and others who have a registered S1, E121, E106 or E109 can apply now for a new UK European Health Insurance Card

French 'top-up' health insurance explained

No ‘top-up’ health cover can be costly if you are unlucky. Fortunately, a new law will make it easier from next month to change policies

Macron expected to announce new Covid restrictions tonight

New Covid-19 restrictions are being discussed by the Conseil de défense this morning, with a four-week national lockdown possible

Is my operation in a French private clinic reimbursable?

We answer a reader question: Will I be reimbursed if I have an operation in a private clinic in France?

UK tourists will not have valid health insurance in France

Anyone living in the UK planning to go on holiday to France from tomorrow - including people visiting second homes - will no longer be covered by private health or travel insurance unless separately negotiated, in line with the latest UK government advice on travel.

Covid-19: Free health check for vulnerable patients

€46 cost of 'assessment and vigilance' consultation will be covered by French health insurance system

Why is France refunding pills but not counselling?

Why are antidepressants free but sessions with psychologists are not? A.H.

Branded medicines only reimbursed at price of generic

Patients who refuse generic versions of their medication where one exists are now reimbursed less under new rules aimed at saving the state €100 million per year.

Some glasses and tooth crowns are now free in France

If you have been putting off getting glasses or having dental prosthetics because of the cost, the new 100 Santé scheme can help

Branded medicines now only reimbursed at generic price

Patients in France who refuse generic versions of their medication will now be reimbursed less, under new rules that came into force on January 1, which are expected to save the State €100 million per year.

Ehic times don’t match

Can an Irish early-retiree join Puma?

I am a retired Irish citizen and will be retiring to France – I’m an ‘early retiree’ so don’t have a state pension or S1 form yet. Will I be able to join the French Puma healthcare system? H.S.

UK ‘should act now on pension uprating’

Uprating the state pensions of Britons living in France for life – and not just three years – in a no-deal Brexit is in the gift of the UK government and should be guaranteed now, a Tory MP has told the British prime minister.

Make sense of… France’s Puma health system

The idea behind France’s Puma system is that healthcare rights come automatically with right of residency.

Homeopathy: French MPs oppose reimbursement decision

A group of 45 French MPs have written an open letter in favour of homeopathy and in opposition to the government’s decision this month to end all State reimbursement of the medicine by 2021.

Is cancer care free with Ehic or S1?

I have been diagnosed with cancer and am hoping soon to move to France. Can I access free chemotherapy with my Ehic/S1? M.H.

Homeopathy: France should not reimburse, report says

Homeopathic medicine should no longer be reimbursed by the French State, as it provides “insufficient medical service”, health authority La Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) has recommended this week.

Macron still faces a battle to fund his ageing nation

The problem of an ageing population and how to fund pensions and dependency care that has bedevilled previous governments has now landed in President Macron’s lap.

Insurer unveils 'zero charge' services from July

Change allowing clients access to 'free' glasses, dental prostheses and hearing aids comes into effect nearly two years before government's healthcare reforms make it mandatory

Steep rises for health ‘top-ups’

Top-up health insurance prices have been rising sharply this year, with some up by 5-9% – and even 34% in one case, according to consumer group UFC-Que Choisir.

French GPs call for stop to homeopathy reimbursement

Doctors in France have called for homeopathic medicine to no longer be reimbursed by the state, calling homeopathy an “esoteric practice” that cannot be justified.

France warned against Carte Vitale email scam

The French public is being warned against a new email scam inviting people to update their Carte Vitale insurance card by “filling in an online form”, medical insurance agency l’Assurance Maladie has said.

UK acts to help with healthcare

Britain has introduced a bill in which it offers to continue to pay for the healthcare of its state pensioners living abroad in the EU – including those moving after Brexit – and to keep funding EHICs for travellers.