The French healthcare system is based on two main components:
- the basic state health insurance
- and supplementary health insurance (¨Mutuelle¨), a blend of public and private services.
The basic state health insurance: Sécurité Sociale
The French social security system is based on the principle of ‘solidarity contributions’. Persons exercising a professional activity (employed or self-employed), or those resident on French territory on a continuous and legal basis, and their dependents, are entitled to healthcare, both in private practices and in hospitals, while benefiting from partial coverage of healthcare costs by France’s Social Security system (topped up with supplementary cover). Contributions are made through social security deductions from each person’s income.
3 minutes to understand the French Social Security system, an official video from Sécurité sociale.