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FRANCE
- HEALTH AND INSURANCE |
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Citizens of all EU and
Scandinavian countries are
entitled to take advantage
of French health services
under the same terms as
residents, if they have
the correct documentation.
British citizens need form
?111, available from post
offices. North American
and other non-EU citizens
have to pay for most
medical attention and are
strongly advised to take
out some form of travel
insurance.
Under the French Social
Security system, every
hospital visit, doctor's
consultation and
prescribed medicine incurs
a charge. Although all
employed French people are
entitled to a refund of
70-75 percent of their
medical and dental
expenses, this can still
leave a hefty shortfall,
especially after a stay in
hospital (accident victims
even have to pay for the
ambulance that takes them
there).
The phone numbers and
addresses of hospitals and
the phone numbers for SOS
Médecins (for emergency
doctor call-out) are given
for all the main cities;
the national number for medical
emergencies is tel 15.
You will also find the
number for the local
police station, which can
provide addresses of
doctors on call, and for
pharmacies open after
hours. In smaller towns,
to find a doctor ,
stop at any pharmacy and
ask for an address, or
look under "Médecins
qualifiés" in the
Yellow Pages of the phone
directory. To qualify for
Social Security refunds,
make sure the doctor is a médecin
conventionné . An
average consultation fee
would be between
150F/?22.88 and
180F/?27.45. You will be
given a Feuille de Soins
(Statement of Treatment)
for later documentation of
insurance claims.
Prescriptions should be
taken to a pharmacie
, signalled by an
illuminated green cross,
where they must be paid
for; the medicines will
have little stickers ( vignettes
) attached to them, which
you must remove and stick
to your Feuille de
Soins , together with
the prescription itself.
In addition to dispensing
medicine, all pharmacies
are equipped, and obliged,
to give first aid on
request - though they will
make a charge. When
closed, they all display
the address of the nearest
open pharmacy, day or
night. In serious
emergencies you will
always be admitted to the
nearest hospital ( hôpital
), either under your own
power or by ambulance,
which even French citizens
must pay for; many people
instead call the pompiers
(fire brigade), who are
trained for such
circumstances and whose
number is tel 18.
Tavel insurance
A typical travel
insurance policy
usually provides cover
for the loss of baggage,
tickets and - up to a
certain limit - cash or
cheques, as well as
cancellation or
curtailment of your
journey. Most of them
exclude so-called dangerous
sports unless an
extra premium is paid.
Read the small print and
benefits tables of
prospective policies
carefully; coverage can
vary wildly for roughly
similar premiums. Many
policies can be chopped
and changed to exclude
coverage you don't need
- for example, sickness
and accident benefits
can often be excluded or
included at will. If you
do take medical
coverage , ascertain
whether benefits will be
paid as treatment
proceeds or only after
return home, and whether
there is a 24-hour
medical emergency
number. When securing
baggage cover, make sure
that the per-article
limit - typically under
£500 equivalent - will
cover your most valuable
possession. If you need
to make a claim, you
should keep receipts for
medicines and medical
treatment, and in the
event you have anything
stolen, you must obtain
an official statement
from the police.
British bank
and credit cards often
have certain levels of
medical or other
insurance included and
you may automatically
get travel insurance if
you use a major credit
card to pay for your
trip. If you have a good
all-risks home insurance
policy it may cover your
possessions against loss
or theft even when
overseas. Many private
medical schemes such as
BUPA or PPP also offer
coverage plans for
abroad, including
baggage loss,
cancellation or
curtailment and cash
replacement as well as
sickness or accident.
Americans and Canadians
should also check that
they're not already
covered. Canadian
provincial health plans
usually provide partial
cover for medical
mishaps overseas.
Holders of official
student/teacher/youth
cards are entitled to
meagre accident coverage
and hospital in-patient
benefits. Students will
often find that their
student health coverage
extends during the
vacations and for one
term beyond the date of
last enrolment.
Homeowners' or renters'
insurance often covers
theft or loss of
documents, money and
valuables while
overseas, though
conditions and maximum
amounts vary from
company to company.
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