Citizens of all EU and Scandinavian countries are entitled to take advantage of French health services under the same terms as residents, if they have the correct documentation. British citizens need form 111, available from post offices.
North American and other non-EU citizens have to pay for most medical attention and are strongly advised to take out some form of travel insurance.
Under the French Social Security system, every hospital visit, doctor's consultation and prescribed
medicine incurs a charge. Although all employed French people are entitled to a refund of 70-75 percent of their medical and dental expenses, this can still leave a hefty shortfall, especially after a stay in hospital (accident victims even have to pay for the ambulance that takes them there).
The phone numbers and addresses of hospitals and the phone numbers for SOS Médecins (for emergency doctor call-out) are given for all the main cities; the national number for
medical emergencies is tel 15. You will also find the number for the local police station, which can provide addresses of doctors on call, and for pharmacies open after hours. In smaller towns, to find a doctor , stop at any pharmacy and ask for an address, or look under "Médecins qualifiés" in the Yellow Pages of the phone directory. To qualify for Social Security refunds, make sure the doctor is a médecin conventionné . An average consultation fee would be between €22.88 and €27.45. You will be given a Feuille de Soins (Statement of Treatment) for later documentation of insurance claims. Prescriptions should be taken to a
pharmacie, signalled by an illuminated green cross, where they must be paid for; the medicines will have little stickers (
vignettes ) attached to them, which you must remove and stick to your Feuille de Soins , together with the prescription itself. In addition to dispensing medicine, all pharmacies are equipped, and obliged, to give first aid on request - though they will make a charge. When closed, they all display the address of the nearest open pharmacy, day or night. In serious emergencies you will always be admitted to the nearest
hospital ( hôpital ), either under your own power or by ambulance, which even French citizens must pay for; many people instead call the
pompiers (fire brigade), who are trained for such circumstances and whose number is tel 18.
A typical travel insurance policy usually provides cover for the loss of baggage, tickets and - up to a certain limit - cash or cheques, as well as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most of them exclude so-called
dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid. Read the small print and benefits tables of prospective policies carefully; coverage can vary wildly for roughly similar premiums. Many policies can be chopped and changed to exclude coverage you don't need - for example, sickness and accident benefits can often be excluded or included at will. If you do take medical coverage, ascertain whether benefits will be paid as treatment proceeds or only after return home, and whether there is a 24-hour
medical emergency number. When securing baggage cover, make sure that the per-article limit - typically under $1,000 - will cover your most valuable possession. If you need to make a claim, you should keep receipts for medicines and medical treatment, and in the event you have anything stolen, you must obtain an official statement from the police.
British bank and credit cards often have certain levels of medical or other insurance included and you may automatically get travel insurance if you use a major credit card to pay for your trip. If you have a good all-risks home insurance policy it may cover your possessions against loss or theft even when overseas. Many private medical schemes such as BUPA or PPP also offer coverage plans for abroad, including baggage loss, cancellation or curtailment and cash replacement as well as sickness or accident.
Americans and Canadians should also check that they're not already covered. Canadian provincial health plans usually provide partial cover for medical mishaps overseas. Holders of official student/teacher/youth cards are entitled to meagre accident coverage and hospital in-patient benefits. Students will often find that their student health coverage extends during the vacations and for one term beyond the date of last enrolment. Homeowners' or renters' insurance often covers theft or loss of documents, money and valuables while overseas, though conditions and maximum amounts vary from company to company.
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