Take out a private health insurance policy known as a “mutuelle”

In France, a “mutuelle” is a private health insurance policy that reimburses all or part of medical costs not covered by the state health insurance system known as “sécurité sociale”. 

You can take out a “mutuelle” insurance policy individually and add family members if you wish, such as your children.

You have to pay a monthly fee, which is between EUR 30 and EUR 100 per month, on average.

If you have limited financial resources, you may be able to benefit from the “Complémentaire santé solidaire (CSS)”, which is a free or low-cost state-funded “mutuelle”.

Anyone who is registered for state health insurance system such as the general system known as “Protection universelle maladie (Puma)” (also known as “sécurité sociale”) can take out a complementary health insurance policy or “mutuelle”.

Alternatively, you can contact organisations that offer “mutuelles” to find out if they accept subscriptions from people who do not have social security or “sécurité sociale”.

Many companies offer “mutuelles”. It is advisable to compare several offers before choosing the right one for you by comparing their rates and reimbursement guarantees.

• If you work in France, your company is obliged to offer you a “mutuelle” for employees. You can ask your employer what the conditions are to benefit from this. The company generally covers some of the cost of the “mutuelle”.
• Some “mutuelles” offer flexible packages, which allow you to add or remove cover according to your needs.

Once you have chosen your “mutuelle” and the guarantees included, you will then need to sign a contract. The company will tell you the steps to be followed and the documents to be provided, including a bank identity document known as a “relevé d’identité bancaire (RIB)” so that you can receive reimbursements straight into your account.

Following your registration, your “mutuelle” will notify the organisation that manages your health insurance entitlements, known as the “caisse d’assurance maladie”, if you are registered. You can check on your state health insurance account, for example ameli.fr,  to check that your “mutuelle” has been linked to your account.

Most of the time, you will be able to benefit from remote transmission, a system that allows your “caisse d’assurance maladie” to automatically notify your “mutuelle” of any healthcare costs that have not been reimbursed. This means:

• You will not need to take any additional steps.
• Once your “mutuelle” receives the notification, they will reimburse your medical costs up to the limit of the guarantees included in your policy.
• You will receive the reimbursements directly to your bank account.