The carte vitale is the national French health insurance card that allows those who have one to have most or all of their health costs either covered or reimbursed by the state.
The cards work mainly as a reimbursement system – when you have a doctor’s appointment or are prescribed medication, you pay upfront to the doctor or pharmacist.
They then swipe your carte vitale and the government reimburses some or all of the cost directly back into your bank account.
The card doesn’t pay for all of your medical costs unless in serious cases like cancer or heart disease.
How much is covered by the state depends on the treatment or action taken by the doctor. For example the rates of reimbursement depend on the specialist you see or the type of scan you get.
In general for dental treatment the rates are much lower.`
Carte Vitale: How It Works And How to Apply As An Expat
So who pays the rest of the bill?
Most people have top up health insurance – known as a mutuelle – to cover the difference (or most of it) between what the state pays via the carte vitale and the total fee.
Anyone who is working in France or who has been legally resident for more than three months is entitled to the carte vitale and it is not means tested.
Until now, many British people living in France have relied on the European health insurance card, what used to be called the E111.
However it is advised that these people now get a carte vitale, firstly because the European health insurance card won’t work after Brexit, and second because it is another way of ensuring that you are “in the system” in France.
So how to go about it?
Like most things in France, it will probably involve a lot of paperwork, but the system itself is relatively simple.
