Whether you are considering a move, or, indeed have already made the move to France, perhaps one of the last things on your mind are health insurance in France and financial protection.
Expat medical insurance in France, and indeed the French Health system itself, is quite different from that of the United Kingdom, and you should ensure that you obtain the correct legally compliant medical insurance to protect yourself. Whether you are looking for complimentary medical insurance (‘complimentaire santé’), full private medical insurance , or even temporary cover whilst you are on holiday.
If you are considering a long stay in France, but do not wish to take up permanent residence there, you might find that you will have trouble in obtaining satisfactory travel insurance cover, particularly if you have pre-existing medical conditions. You can obtain ‘necessary’ medical cover with a valid “European Health Insurance Card” (EHIC ), but this will not cover all of the medical costs that might be incurred. By virtue of the fact that in France, the health system is contributory, you will more often than not find yourself having to contribute to any medical bills. Furthermore, your EHIC will not cover you for repatriation, private ambulances and such like. You might want to consider adding that peace of mind by covering the difference by taking out an “EHIC Holiday Top Up Plan ”.
Likewise, financial protection in France is equally important. It is a little known fact that, few, if any United Kingdom, based financial institutions will offer life assurance , critical illness or income protection to expats resident in France, or indeed, automatically continue covering you once you move outside the United Kingdom. Even if you currently have a life assurance, critical illness or income protection policy, we would strongly suggest that you confirm with the insurer that you are still covered now you are fully resident in France; you might be surprised by the answer. |
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Insurance 
