Understanding the French Healthcare System

Find out everything you need to know about the French healthcare system, including the cost of healthcare and prescriptions, booking appointments, and the benefits of having private health insurance when moving to France.

When preparing to move abroad to France, one of the things that’s often neglected is making sure that you and your family will have adequate understanding of the French health care system.  Si está acostumbrado a un sistema de salud integral gratuito, como el del Servicio Nacional de Salud británico, puede ser chocante averiguar que quizá se tenga que realizar alguna contribución para pagar el coste de los cuidados sanitarios.

How does the French healthcare system work?

The French medical system is a complex one.  It’s well worth getting your head around the ins and outs of the cost of healthcare in France before you move, as you may have to call upon the system in the future.

French health care provides a high level of easily accessible care; however, it can be daunting to navigate. Todo aquel que viva y trabaje en Francia debería inscribirse en una de las compañías de seguros de salud estatales (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie - CPAM). Una vez inscrito, se le otorgará una "Carte Vitale". Dicha tarjeta deberá presentarse siempre que se visite a un profesional sanitario o que se acuda a un hospital.

Is French healthcare free?

En Francia, normalmente se solicita el pago de los gastos médicos por adelantado. Esto incluye visitas al médico, cualquier prueba médica que sea necesario realizar y la compra de los medicamentos recetados. Luego se reembolsarán dichos gastos a través de la CPAM. No obstante, la contribución personal es un principio fundamental del sistema de salud francés. Esto quiere decir que a menudo no se reembolsa la cantidad completa. Por ejemplo, en caso de hospitalización normalmente se reembolsa el 80 % de los gastos.  If you find that you need to stay in hospital for a prolonged period of time, the costs of healthcare in France can easily pile up.

French healthcare facts

According to the World Health Organization, the French healthcare system is ranked 1^st in the world.

The International Health Care System Profiles reports that there are over 220.000 general practitioners (GPs) and 119.000 specialists in France. More than half of these are reportedly younger doctors in group practices. The average practice in France is made up of two to three physicians.

Seguro de salud para expatriados

If you have an expat health insurance policy with us here at Cigna, you won’t have to worry about such issues. Gestionamos el pago directamente con su proveedor, o liquidamos su solicitud de reembolso en 5 días laborables. We focus entirely on providing international medical insurance for expats.

With 30 years’ experience in this field, we’ll help you create a health insurance plan that’s perfectly tailored to the needs of you and your family. Le ofrecemos la seguridad de nuestra cobertura principal integral y la flexibilidad de añadir beneficios extra si lo desea.  

Nuestros planes principales le ofrecen cobertura para las hospitalizaciones y tratamientos principales, entre los que se incluyen:

• Honorarios de cirujano y de las consultas
• Hospitalización
• Tratamiento del cáncer

Es posible elegir entre tres niveles de cobertura principal:

• Silver: 800.000 € / 650.000 £
• Gold:  1.600.000 € / 1.300.000 £
• Platinum: 2.500.000 € / 2.000.000 £

Una vez creado su plan de cobertura principal, es posible añadir módulos opcionales:

• International outpatient– additional and more extensive outpatient cover that protects you for any treatments that don’t require a hospital stay.
• International medical evacuation– peace of mind cover for transport and repatriation costs for you and a family member if you need treatment in another country.
• International vision & dental– complete cover for all your vision and dental costs.
• International health & wellbeing– allows you to manage your health in your own way with cover for screenings, tests, examinations and other wellbeing activities.

With Cigna Global, you’ll also receive the following benefits:

• el acceso a nuestra red global de hospitales, clínicas y médicos de confianza;
• la flexibilidad de diseñar un plan que se adapte a sus necesidades personales;
• la comodidad y la confianza de la atención al cliente de Cigna;
• la seguridad de nuestra experiencia como proveedores de atención de salud internacional.

Siguiente paso

Take a look at our international health insurance plans and find out how you can create a plan specifically tailored to your needs.