HEALTH
HEALTH INSURANCE: WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW - I WANT TO SEE A DOCTOR!
- Sexually-Transmitted Diseases
- AIDS
- Sex Life, and Contraception
- Feeling Down ?
- Drugs
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Health is something for old folks to think about! When you are 20 and full of beans, you
have loads of other things on your mind rather than bothering about every little ache and
pain and it seems like a waste of time to look into the kind of health insurance you've
got. You don't need to be paranoid on the subject of illness to catch one as well! It's a
good idea to keep some information and a few addresses around and know what your
particular situation is in the maze of French social security. Just in case...
HEALTH INSURANCE: WHAT YOU NEED TO
KNOW
During your stay in France, you should be covered by some sort of health insurance. If
you are ill and/or have to go into hospital your health insurance will cover the majority
of your hospital costs. Everything depends on whether you're in a job, on a training
period (stagiaire), a student or simply a tourist?
Students
For you to benefit from health insurance, you must be registered at a higher education institution approved by the Sécurité Sociale. You must also be under 26 on 1st October of the current academic year. When you enrol at university you will be required to fill in several forms in order to get your student health insurance coverage (régime étudiant). You have to pay an annual fee ranging from about 900 Francs to 2 000 Francs.
Two group health insurance organisations (mutuelles) represented all over France,
manage the Sécurité Sociale student regime:
94252 Gentilly Cedex.
Tél : 01 46 64 19 55
75014 Paris.
Students over 26 or those at
institutions which do not have an agreement with the Sécurité Sociale
If you do not meet the requirements which allow students to take advantage of the
Sécurité Sociale student system, then take out an insurance policy from the MNEF so that
you (and husband or wife and children living with you, if you have them) can have your
medical and hospital costs reimbursed.
You have a steady job or are on a
training course in a company
The employer and you yourself both pay monthly health insurance contributions. Yours are deducted from your pay and sent to a health insurance fund. To be able to get Sécurité Sociale benefits, you have to be able to prove:
You are covered by the Sécurité Sociale, which means that your wife or live-in
partner (all they ask for is a declaration on your honour, provided by the health
insurance fund for you to fill in) and your dependant children will all be similarly
reimbursed (health care and maternity costs).
You Do Not Have a Job
If you worked a sufficient number of hours previously (see paragraph above), you have
the right to health insurance for 12 months starting from the date on which you stopped
earning wages. At the end of this period, you should take out a personal health insurance
policy if you can.
Tourists
If you are covered by national health insurance in one of the EU member countries, your doctors' and health care bills will be reimbursed during your stay in France. Don't forget to bring International Social Security Form E 111 along with you.
For additional information, contact the international department (Service des Relations Internationales) of the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM) in the French locality where you live.
If you are planning a trip through France and other countries, it would be a good idea
to take out a comprehensive insurance policy. No matter what kind of trouble you run into,
the insurance company will pay to have you brought back to your country and cover your
health care and hospital fees.
I WANT TO SEE A DOCTOR!
If you have a health problem, you can see the doctor of your choice. The fees he charges are set with the approval of the Sécurité Sociale. A GP will ask you for about 110 Francs for a consultation, but it is perfectly legal for some to ask more. They are the doctors referred to as “en honoraires libres” and you will only be reimbursed for the standard fees. House calls, especially at night, on Sundays and public holidays, also mean higher fees. If you ask your doctor to come to the house to see you, it will cost you something like 150 Francs. To get a list of doctors on call at night, on Sundays and holidays, ask at the police station (Commissariat de Police) or make an emergency police call (Police Secours).
You may also see a doctor at a hospital, a public clinic (dispensaire) or a health
centre (centre de soins).
Still up to not very long ago thought of as shameful illnesses and called “venereal” diseases, sexually-transmitted diseases (MSTs in French, for maladies sexuellement transmissibles) are detected and treated today like any other infection. But everybody should remember that, because of the increase in sexual freedom and people not always sticking to one partner, these diseases are on the increase. Without being paranoid, it is a good idea to use a condom. If you suspect anything after intercourse (any unusual secretion, itching near the genital regions, ganglion-type swellings, consult a doctor and if possible take your partner. Don't forget that it takes two to contract a sexually-transmitted disease and its cure involves both partners.
In every city in France there are specialised centres and private specialists who treat
these illnesses.
In Paris, in particular:
And you can always go to the hospital or clinic nearest to where you live.
AIDS
This virus was unknown until the early 1980s when it was included in the catalogue of infectious diseases. AIDS (SIDA in French) has had extensive media coverage ever since it appeared on the scene. The spectre of Aids, the deadly 20th-Century plague, has generated anxiety throughout society as it makes the headlines.
What you have to get absolutely clear is that this virus is transmitted only by sperm passed on during sexual activity and by blood (injection using a syringe which has already been used by a carrier of the virus). AIDS cannot be transmitted in any other way, and there is no need to be worried about blood transfusions as AIDS-detection controls have been systematically carried out on blood given by donors ever since July 1985. Since no vaccine is available and the disease cannot be successfully treated, remember that the only reliable preventative measure is to use a condom, which is sold over the counter at chemists and pharmacies.
If you are worried, or want information or advice, contact one of the following
associations:
A Paris :
Minitel : 3615 AIDES
A Lyon :
A Marseille :
A Grenoble :
A Toulouse :
A Rennes :
Sex Life, and Contraception
Sex life, contraception, abortion... At some time during your stay in France you may need information on one of these subjects. And the young women amongst you will certainly be looking around for a gynaecologist they can go to. All kinds of organisations provide free information and good counselling to young people. Family planning and information centres (Centres de Planification et d'Information) do not provide medical services, but hospitals and clinics do supply information and counselling along with health care.
To find out where to go, contact the following organisations:
You can also get information from regional youth information centres (Centres
Régionaux d'Information Jeunesse - CRIJs).
Feeling Down?
If nothing is going right and you feel blue, to the point where life doesn't seem worth living, don't bottle it up inside. The following associations want to listen to young people who have problems and help them in any way they can:
Tél : 01 44 08 78 78 Tél : 01 45 39 40 00 Tél : 01 42 96 26 26 24/24h tous les
jours Drugs
French law prohibits the sale and use of illicit drugs in France and the penalties for offenders are harsh. If you have a drug problem, however, contact the following associations for prevention of drug abuse or specialist medical services:
 Design by : Marc ELOY - Em@ze
InfoSystems
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 Last update : 01/12/96
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