Expat Insurance Services in France

France has a government health insurance program for residents of France and an excellent quality health care system. Citizens of the European Union countries, as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are also covered while in France, under their European Health Insurance Cards.

 

Despite insurance, medical expenses in France have to be paid for at the time of visit, and partial reimbursements must then be claimed from the insurance provider, which can take up to 2 or 3 weeks in the case of the state social health insurance program. House calls are still performed on occasion by French doctors, but will cost more.

 

Because the government social health insurance is only partial coverage, about 85% of French people take out additional private health insurance plans to cover the remaining expenses. Patients from other countries who are not covered may still be eligible to benefit from two emergency health insurance schemes in France, Universal Health Insurance or CMU, and State Health Aid, or AME. They must be low income and show they have been in France at least 3 months to qualify for these programs. AME makes emergency health care available even to illegal residents in France, of whom there are thousands- particularly from Northern Africa.