Going to the doctor in france
France and Germany share a border of about 450 km and have a lot more in common. France, the largest country in the European Union in terms of area, and Germany, with the largest population, are the engines that drive the community of 27 states. They are also each other's main trading partners within the European Community.
With regard to the health system and medical care, there are similarities between the two countries, but also differences, with quite complicated regulations on both sides of the Rhine. For temporary stays in France, such as a vacation in Nice or a business meeting in Paris, one issue in particular is important when it comes to seeing a doctor in France:
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
The EHIC is issued by the respective health insurance company in Germany upon application or is already entered on the back of the insurance card. With the EHIC, patients from other EU countries receive the same medical services in France as the French themselves and even have an advantage over the locals.
The French healthcare system has a very strict family doctor rule. As a French person or a permanent resident of the country, the first time you visit a general practitioner, he or she is designated as your primary care physician. This primary care physician then handles referrals to specialists for illnesses that he or she does not treat themselves.
Those who do not comply will have to pay a higher doctor's fee. Of course, this rule may not apply to travelers, which is why the visitor to France can use his or her EHIC to visit the established doctor of one's choice.
Going to the doctor in France, how the fee system works?
In contrast to Germany, where the health insurance company settles directly with the doctor, the patient in France pays first in cash or by credit card for all services rendered by the doctor. After treatment, a treatment certificate is issued, which in turn is submitted to the local French health insurance company for reimbursement. Any medications required and purchased at the nearest pharmacy are also entered on the treatment certificate by the pharmacist, so that the health insurance company has all the necessary information at a glance. Reimbursement by French health insurers is usually cashless to the bank account of the submitter(s).
However, only about 70% of the costs for the doctor's visit and between 15 and 100% of the medication costs are reimbursed. In order to reach a total of 100 %, additional insurances are necessary.
Going to the doctor in France with travel health insurance
Even though France, as a direct neighbor and EU member, grants travelers from other EU countries access to its health care system and reimburses part of the costs, it is still worthwhile to take out travel health insurance prior to the trip. There are in France, namely two different types of licensing for doctors: the "Conventionne secteur 1" and the "Conventionne secteur 2".
The doctor with authorization 1 is bound to the tariffs of the health insurance company, while the French doctor with authorization 2 is not bound to these tariffs.
Experience shows that the admission 2 segment is home to the better doctors with an equally better equipped practice.
They charge a higher fee, which is only reimbursed by the health insurance companies up to the amount of the basic fees. Through the travel health insurance, the higher costs of the best possible medical care can be reimbursed, but not only that.
Repatriation from France
If the travel health insurance includes the additional option of ambulance return transport, the costs for the transfer from a French hospital to a German hospital can be reimbursed, if the attending physician in France considers this to be medically reasonable and it is formulated in this way in the general terms and conditions of the insurance policy.
A retrieval can be done, for example, by the ambulance flight center, which organizes the complete transfer from bed to bed. In a consultation, we will be happy to provide you with all the information you require and, if you wish, we can make you a non-binding offer.