The French government passed a new law on March 8, 2018 that will result in what it considers a simplification of French social security health coverage for 1.8 million students in France. Many of the details about how the law will be applied, however, have yet to be confirmed by the government. Information currently listed on this page will likely change once we know more in the months ahead. For more about the law, please read: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A12474

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns about the AUP health plan at health@aup.edu

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If you are a returning student under 28, you will be registered to the French Student Social Security and to complementary insurance from MSH International. The complementary insurance covers costs that are either not covered by French Social Security or covers the remaining portion not reimbursed by the Social Security system.

Coverage includes eye glasses, contact lenses, preventive dental treatment, alternative medicine (such as chiropractic care), house calls (SOS Médecins), and up to fifteen sessions a semester with a psychologist—and much more. It is important to consult the student health care handbook [pdf] for more details.

 

Cost of the health care plan

Due to the new social security Reform, the social Security will be free for 2018/2019 academic year.

The cost of the health care plan is charged directly to your student account. Payment is due when you register for classes.

Service Cost Validity
Complementary Insurance €270 One semester

 

Applying for a Carte Vitale

The Carte Vitale is a health card that allows a faster reimbursement of health expenses. To be eligible, you need first to have a social security number, if you don’t have one already, you will need to sign up first online on the French social security website. To apply for Carte Vitale, make sure you do the following:

  • Provide AUP with an original, non-photocopied birth certificate and a certified translation into French and get an official stamp from your local embassy in Paris.
  • Provide a copy of your visa or carte de séjour if you are a non-EU citizen and a copy of your passport if you are an EU citizen. The French Social Security department processes your documents and a permanent social security number is created for you.
  • After receiving a Carte Vitale photo form in your AUP mailbox, attach a photo and provide your signature to attest your name and date of birth are correct.
  • Send back this completed form in the provided envelope with a copy of either your valid visa + OFII stamp or valid carte de séjour. If you are an EU citizen, send a copy of your passport.
  • Once you have your Carte Vitale, doctors who have the specific equipment will use it to send your reimbursement claim electronically. This replaces the feuille de soins (treatment form). Alternatively, if your doctor does not have a Carte Vitale reader, he will give you a paper feuille de soins.

 

Step-by-step reimbursement process

  • Pay upfront and ask for a feuille de soins. Remember to always have enough cash or a checkbook with you. Not all medical providers have a credit card machine. Ask the medical provider for an official claim form which is called feuille de soins. This document will serve as your receipt and is a mandatory document to claim for reimbursement. Keep all your prescriptions.
  • SOS Médecins (emergency doctor at home): show the doctor your attestation de droits (downloaded from the social security website, ask Health Office for help) and ask for a feuille de soins.
  • Choose your primary care physician (médecin traitant). You will need to declare your primary care physician in order to avoid penalties on your reimbursements. Ask your general practitioner to fill out a form which then needs to be sent to the French Social Security. If you decide to change your primary care physician you just need to fill out a new form with your new GP and send it to the French Social Security.
  • Submit a RIB (your bank account information). You will need to submit your RIB the first time you send a claim form. If covered by Social Security, you need to open a French bank account. If covered by the complementary insurance MSH, you don’t need a French bank account. You just need to provide the name and address of the bank, account number and routing number.
  • Getting reimbursed for prescribed medication. Bring your doctor’s prescription for medication to a pharmacy and ask for a feuille de soins as a receipt. You must also submit your original doctor’s prescription along with your feuille de soins to be reimbursed. You have the option of dropping your documents off at the Health Office.
  • Send your claim forms to the French Social Security. Send all your claim forms to the French Social Security, except for psychologist and alternative medicine consultations, which are not reimbursed by the social security but by the complementary insurance. It can take between three to four weeks for the French Social Security to process a reimbursement claim and reimburse you on your French bank account. 
  • First reimbursement : the statements of your reimbursements by social security are available on the website once you create your online account. Send the reimbursement statement from the French Social Security to the complementary insurance. You can print it out from the website as soon as you have been reimbursed and send it to the complementary insurance to get the second reimbursement much quicker. You also have the option of dropping it off at the Health Office to be sent in the weekly batch. It takes about two weeks for the complementary insurance to reimburse your bank account.
  • Send your claim forms for contact lenses, psychologists, and alternative medicine consultations directly to the complementary insurance. Indicate your AUP ID number preceded by “AUP” on every sheet to be sent to the complementary insurance. Attach a RIB (your bank information) to your first claim form if you want to get reimbursed on your bank account.

 

How to opt out of the complementary insurance

The Student French Social Security is mandatory and you can only request to opt out of the complementary insurance if you meet specific requirements. There are two conditions under which you may opt out of the complementary insurance. First, if your parents live in Paris and you have an insurance that covers you in France that is equivalent to the Mutuelle, you may opt out. Second, if you are working part-time or full-time and your company covers you for health insurance in France you may be able to opt out.

For students whose parents’ insurance covers them, the following must be provided:

For students whose employers’ insurance covers them, the following must be provided:

  • copy of your contract from the company you work for
  • a valid proof of insurance

All documents must be provided to the health plan coordinator no later than at the orientation check-in.