France offers a vast choice of general practitioners and healthcare specialists, part of its mammoth social security system which, although very expensive and a constant source of funding worry, is one of the finest anywhere.

French employees see about 20 percent of their gross salary, deducted at source, to fund the social security system, referred to as Sécurité sociale. A large part of this goes into public healthcare, to which every legal resident of France has access under the law of universal coverage, la Couverture maladie universelle. Indeed, this right to healthcare is a highly prized value of the French social model.

Anyone in France can consult any doctor or specialist, regardless of whether the patient is affiliated to the French social security system or has private medical insurance.

There are more than 3,000 hospitals in France, generally of the highest quality. Everyone has the right to emergency hospital treatment, regardless of their health insurance coverage, and for those who subscribe to Sécurité sociale it is partly reimbursed. In the case of minor injuries, you can also choose your own hospital and or emergency service.

Medical coverage: the State

If you subscribe to the French social security system, whether as an employee or self-employed, most of your healthcare needs will be partially reimbursed, albeit at different rates.

Generally speaking, Sécurité sociale refunds 70 percent of medical fees. Under new legislation, however, aimed at cutting health service costs, all patients are now required to register with a médecin traitant, a general practitioner or family doctor, in order to receive the full reimbursement.

You are free to choose any general practitioner you want and change them for any reason; the same is true with any specialists although if you want to be reimbursed for visits to any kind of specialist, your médecin traitant must first make the referral. (See "Picking a primary doctor in France" for more on how this works.)

 1 2 Next >