Why 500,000 people in France will soon be getting a call from health officials
A new campaign will target certain individuals with particular health conditions
Officials from the Assurance maladie will be calling half a million people who have diabetes and/or heart failure and who do not visit the GP enough in the year
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Half a million people in France can expect to receive a call from health officials from June onwards as part of a “vast campaign of calls” to raise awareness of the importance of GP visits for some patients.
The Assurance maladie announced the campaign on April 23, and warned that if people in France who are registered with the state healthcare system receive a call, it is not spam, a scam, or a joke (see below for advice on spotting scams).
The people called will not be chosen at random. They will be insured individuals who have:
The calls will aim to raise awareness among patients “of the importance of regular consultations with their GP” and to ensure that their care pathways are consistent and taking place under “good conditions”, said the Assurance maladie.
It stated: “Regular visits to your GP allow treatments to be tailored to your needs, any worsening of your condition to be identified quickly, and the risk of emergency hospitalisation due to your illness to be reduced.”
The Assurance maladie recommends that people with these conditions visit their GP for a check-up at least four times a year.
Read also: Diabetes: Everything you need to know about the condition in France
Read more: Reader feedback: How long does it take to get a carte Vitale in France?
Read also: Moving to France: how does a retiree apply for a health card?
Link between conditions
It also highlighted the link between diabetes and heart failure, stating that one can lead to the other. This is because persistently too-high blood sugar levels can damage the walls of small blood vessels in major organs.
This can cause arterial damage, potentially leading to “angiopathy, heart attacks, cardiovascular accidents (strokes) or even arteritis of the lower limbs”, said Jean-François Thébaut, a Paris-based cardiologist, and vice president of the French diabetes federation la Fédération française des diabétiques, to Actu.fr.
The Assurance maladie estimates that those with diabetes are up to four times more likely to develop heart failure, while patients with heart failure are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes (due to a sedentary lifestyle, for example).
Almost 4.3 million women and men in France have diabetes, and heart failure affects around 1.37 million people, it added.
Scam awareness
People in France should, despite this campaign, still be aware of the potential for carte Vitale and healthcare scams such as a call or email asking you to renew your carte, or asking for any personal healthcare or financial details.
Read more: Carte Vitale: Plans for digital version to be integrated with French ID app
Be aware of emails and calls that claim to be from the Assurance maladie, particularly messages that have links in them that appear to take you to the Ameli online website, or ask you for login details.
If you receive such communication, the advice is to go directly to the Ameli website by looking it up in your search engine, rather than using the link sent in the email.
Finally, be aware that Assurance maladie will never ask for you to provide personal details (such as login details, financial data etc) by email or call.
These scams are more common than you might think, so remember to remain vigilant when dealing with this type of contact.
