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.
