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Medical fees, eco-grants, gas prices: 5 changes this May in France
We also include the French income tax declaration deadlines for residents and second-home owners and other dates coming up
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Paris hospital dog trial goes from strength to strength
An English setter rescue dog at one of the world’s top cancer hospitals in Paris has been described as “a bubble of oxygen”
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How does your area of France fare for delay to see a doctor?
Some departments are in particular trouble when it comes to waiting times for specialists
Is my operation in a French private clinic reimbursable?
We answer a reader question: Will I be reimbursed if I have an operation in a private clinic in France?
Question:
My doctor has suggested I have an operation in a private clinic – will this be reimbursed by the French social security system? G.F.
Answer:
This depends on whether or not the private clinic has a partnership with the state assurance maladie system. If it does, it is referred to as a clinique privée conventionnée and your hospitalisation costs will be covered on the same basis as if you have the operation in a public hospital.
This is a common arrangement and many French “hospitals” come under this banner. Strictly speaking, the term hôpital refers only to state-run establishments. In this case, the assurance maladie covers 80-100% of basic hospitalisation costs, minus €20/day called the forfait journalier. Where someone is in the clinic for a procedure normally costing €120 or more (un acte lourd), the reimbursement is at 100% minus a set figure of €24.
Apart from the forfait journalier, you may have to pay any dépassements d’honoraires – amounts over and above the usual state tariff – practised by your doctor/s and for any extras you asked for, such as having a private room. Some of these costs may be covered by your mutuelle top-up insurance, if you have one. Check the clinic’s status with your doctor to avoid ending up paying in full.
More reader questions, answered: Can I visit the UK from France for less than 14 days?