The high level of medicine in France is confirmed by the fact that the country occupies the 5th position in the world ranking of the Health Index. The average life expectancy in the country is 82 years, which also speaks of the quality of the medical services provided. Public and private clinics in France meet high European standards and are regularly included in the top best hospitals in the EU countries. Medical care is available not only to citizens, but also to holders of a French residence permit .
Compulsory insurance covers 60 to 100% of expenses. There is no concept of free medicine in France, but the health care system provides benefits for a number of categories of citizens and residents.
Peculiarities of the French healthcare system
Health care in the country is based on the mandatory state system of Assurance Maladie. Three months after moving to France, an immigrant receives the right to obtain a policy and an insurance card Carte Vitale. Then the resident and each member of his family conclude a declaration with the attending general practitioner (Médecin Traitant). This procedure is available online on the state medical portal .
In case of a health problem, the patient contacts the attending physician and receives a referral for tests or an appointment with a specialist. To resolve any administrative issues related to health insurance and services in the country’s clinics, there is a single portal of state services.
Free medicine in France
Both private and public healthcare in France is paid, or free assistance is available for socially vulnerable categories of the population. Low-income residents of the country have the right to use the Solidarity Health Supplement program, which came into force on November 1, 2019. Insurance covers the appointment with specialists (including a dentist, physiotherapist, massage therapist), medical devices (glucometers, wheelchairs, etc.), tests, X-rays, medications, glasses, hearing aids, dentures, as well as hospitalization in a hospital.
Full compensation for treatment in France is also provided in cases of chronic diseases requiring long-term medical care: diabetes, ischemic heart disease, hepatitis, asthma, stroke, cancer and others. The package of free services does not include a doctor’s home visit, consultations with specialized specialists without a referral from the attending physician, drugs without a prescription or at a cost exceeding the amount specified by the insurance.
Full coverage of expenses is provided for the period of pregnancy plus 12 days after delivery. The package includes doctor’s consultations, laboratory and ultrasound examinations, pharmaceuticals, hospitalization, obstetrician observation. Accidents at work are also covered by 100% coverage of expenses: the patient receives free first aid, medical transport services, medications, hospitalization, necessary examinations, tests and treatment according to the protocol.
The privileged categories also include disabled people, patients with occupational diseases, and refugees. Medical services for minors are covered by the policies of parents or official guardians.
Obtaining a residence permit in France gives the opportunity to receive social assistance from the state . Immigrants have the right to count on pensions, scholarships, unemployment benefits, disability payments, pregnancy and childbirth.
Insurance medicine
Persons with a residence permit or citizenship of France should conclude an agreement with an insurance company. The policy can be purchased by hired employees and financially dependent members of their families, pensioners, students, foreign citizens with a residence permit.
Having concluded an agreement with an insurance company, a French citizen receives a unique number and a smart card Carte Vitale for identification in the system. The doctor to whom the patient applies keeps an anamnesis in electronic form. The information is stored on the card, and insurers have access to it, which simplifies and speeds up the procedure for reimbursement of expenses for medical services.
Insured residents of France receive partial compensation for consultation costs depending on the specialization of doctors. The reimbursement rate varies from 30 to 70%. Separate rates are set for appointments with psychiatrists, cardiologists, neurologists and pediatricians. The patient independently pays for consultations with doctors to whom he has applied directly, without a referral from the attending physician.
The percentage of insurance compensation for hospitalization depends on the diagnosis and the range of prescribed medical services. The policy covers up to 80% of hospital expenses. Full compensation is practiced in case of the need for long-term care (after 30 days of hospitalization).
Reimbursement of expenses for medications is possible only if the drugs from the approved list are used and there is a prescription from the attending physician. The percentage of compensation depends on its effectiveness and is 15-100%, where 15% is compensation for a drug with a weak effect, 100% is for an expensive and irreplaceable remedy.
Persons insured under the Assurance Maladie system have access to compensation for transportation costs for examination, hospitalization and return home. The amount of compensation for travel costs for medical purposes is 55%. Full coverage of transportation costs is available to pregnant women, newborns up to 1 month old, victims of an accident at work and persons with severe chronic diseases and requiring long-term care.
The attending physician may prescribe a sanatorium-resort treatment for the patient. In this case, 70% of the costs of basic and additional medical services will be reimbursed by insurance. Medical insurance also covers the costs of glasses and corrective lenses, the rates depend on the patient’s age and the category of the frame purchased. The amount of compensation varies from 60 to 100%. During the year, the patient may be reimbursed for the cost of several pairs of glasses and lenses according to the ophthalmologist’s prescription if the patient’s vision level changes.
Dental treatment is covered by the insurance policy in the amount of up to 60% of the total cost. The same rate is used to reimburse the costs of dental prosthetics and orthodontic services.
Residents of France decide which insurance is best based on their personal parameters : age, presence of chronic diseases, level of danger of professional activity and general health. In some cases, citizens and residents of the country additionally purchase a policy from a private company. This type of insurance is more individual, allows to reduce waiting times for an appointment with a specialist and to receive services that are not included in the standard list covered by the state policy.
Citizens of other EU countries are entitled to the same range of health services as local residents, provided they obtain the European EHIC card. Foreigners who arrive in France on a Schengen visa can use travel insurance, which is issued for the period of their intended stay in the country.
Having received a residence permit in France, you will be able to:
- Live in one of the best countries in Europe
- Apply for a residence permit for the whole family
- Travel around Europe without visas
- Receive social support from the state
The best clinics in France
The capital and the best cities of France (Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse, etc.) are home to the most reputable clinics in the country. The list of the most famous hospitals and institutes includes both state and private medical institutions.
List of the best clinics in France:
- AP-HP – Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière (Paris).
- AP-HP – Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou (Paris).
- CHU Lille – Hôpital Claude-Huriez (Lille).
- CHU Bordeaux – Groupe hospitalier Pellegrin (Bordeaux).
- Hôpital Paris Saint-Joseph (Paris).
- Hospices Civils de Lyon – Hôpital Lyon Sud (Pierre-Benit).
- Polyclinique Santé Atlantique (Saint-Herblain).
- AP-HM – Hôpital de la Timone (Marseille).
- CHU Toulouse – Hôpital Purpan (Toulouse).
- Hospices Civils de Lyon – CHU Louis Pradel (Bron).
- CHU Grenoble – Site Nord (La Tronche).
- AP-HM – Hôpital Nord (Marseille).
- AP-HP – Hôpital Cochin (Paris).
- CHU Nantes – Site Hôtel-Dieu (Nantes).
- Hospices Civils de Lyon – Hôpital Edouard Herriot (Lyon).
- Clinique Pasteur (Toulouse).
- AP-HP – Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard (Paris).
- CHRU Nancy – Hôpital Central (Nancy).
- Elsan — Clinique Saint-Augustin (Bordeaux).
- Hôpital Saint-Joseph (Marseille).
Government clinics
State-run institutions are mostly multidisciplinary and provide a wide range of medical services. State clinics Hospices Civils de Lyon and CHU Lille have achieved good results in the treatment of oncological diseases. Immigrants should pay attention to one of the oldest medical centers in the country – Hôpital Universitaire Pitié Salpêtrière. The clinic is located in Paris and has state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities.
In addition to their main activities, some hospitals also carry out research work and improve the qualifications of medical workers. Insured citizens and residents of France have the right to receive assistance in public clinics under the policy.
Private clinics
Private medical institutions are mostly focused on narrow specialization. The capital’s Hôpital Paris Saint-Joseph is one of the leaders in surgery, obstetrics and neonatology. Immigrants with heart disease should contact Clinique Pasteur or Polyclinique Santé Atlantique, which specialize in cardiology. In 2023 alone, Polyclinique Santé Atlantique received 77 thousand patients.
If a private clinic is included in the French state health program, the insured patient can expect compensation for treatment and diagnostic costs in accordance with the terms of his policy. Persons who have not received a referral from a physician to a specific private clinic are served entirely on a commercial basis.
Childbirth in France
Mandatory medical monitoring of pregnancy is 100% covered by insurance. Using the patient’s Vitale card, the doctor fills out an online application and sends it to the insurance company. After the consultation, the doctor issues the woman a certificate of the first prenatal examination.
During pregnancy, the patient must make seven visits to the doctor. In the first trimester, the woman must undergo an ultrasound examination, take tests to detect hepatitis, toxoplasmosis, HIV and other diseases. Further mandatory stages of monitoring the course of pregnancy (ultrasound, tests, screenings) are scheduled by month until delivery. The insurance also fully covers dental services and classes to prepare for motherhood.
On the third day after birth, the child undergoes free neonatal screening with the consent of the father and mother. Within 8 weeks after birth, the woman must be examined and interviewed by a doctor about her psychological state.
In order to arrange childbirth in France in advance, a foreign woman should arrive in the country before the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. The cost of childbirth can vary from 7 to 25 thousand euros. It is important to note that a visitor visa to France does not give the right to obtain citizenship for the newborn. A child of foreign parents cannot apply for a passport of this country, regardless of the place of birth.