French Social Security
Understanding France's medical care
Published: Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023 Last modified: Monday, Dec 9, 2024
France has a good internal infrastructure, equipment and drugs manufacture. It’s not externally reliant.
France works like an insurance company, but a public one.
It has price guidances for various treatments:
- heart surgery XXX-XXXX
Doctors and practioners can charge alternative prices, but if they don’t they will get penalised by tax.
There are practioners offering “extra services”, but they have to disclose these extra charges in advance. It’s very regulated.
Healthcare cannot be denied because of some past medical history.
The GP are private, the hospital doctors are paid direct by the Social Security system.
Social security is docked from your salary, which is two things:
- Health (Sante)
- Pension (Retaite)