Health: General Practitioner, Doctor, Physician - Paris, France - Expatriation Expatriate International

European Card for Sickness Insurance
In case of medical care need when abroad in Europe, it allows European members to get refund for their medical expenses, according to the legal arrangement in the visited country.
It replaces the E111 form and other European forms (E110, E119, E128) used for short term visits in European countries. It is an individual card with your name, and each family member should have one (including children under 16). It is valid 1 year and free.
The card is not given automatically: you will need to ask your social security centre a few weeks before the departure.

Operation of the French health insurance system is based in the following two important principles:

1- You are free to consult the health professional of you choice: general practitioner (m�decin g�n�raliste), specialist, dentist, laboratory, medical auxiliary, nurse (infirmier)�etc.

2- The patient will generally pay for the treatment and the health professional gives him a treatment form (feuille de soins). However, in some cases, national or local agreement grants exempt from paying treatment in advance, particularly in the case of hospitalisation.

Therefore, when you ask for a benefit either you show your insurance card and you will only pay the minimum amount at the doctor visit, or you will pay the global amount (20 � for a GP) and will ask for a refund later.

In order to obtain medication prescribed by your physician, you must give the pharmacist your prescription and the treatment form. The adhesive stickers (vignette) from the medication boxes must be stuck on the treatment form as proof of purchase. You will then post the request to you social security centre (CPAM � Paris from your area). It takes usually about 1 month to get the refund.

For hospital benefit, you might pay only the minimal amount by giving you insurance number.

Below is a short indication of some refund rates:

Basic Cost Refund /direct payment by CPAM

GP, dentist 20 � for a GP visit 70% - 14 �

Specialist 23 � -

Medicines 65% (white sticker) / 35% (blue sticker)

Hospital 80%

Dentist care 2.3 �

Glasses 2.8 �

There are physicians or hospital centre who have signed agreements with the Social Security, whose fees are fixed by the agreement, and other practitioners, also bound by agreements, who are authorised to exceed the fixed rates (the surcharge is not reimbursed by the Social Security). Additionally, there are physicians or private hospital that have not signed agreements and the refund is very low.

The ticket mod�rateur is the basic part paid by the patient and non-refundable, and varies according to benefit and personal situation.