SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 132

Coverage for Foreigners
All EU nationals (and some others within Europe) are
entitled to receive health services throughout the EU.
Obtain the European National Health Insurance Card
(which replaces the old E111). For information, check the
websites of the EU (http://www.europa.eu) or the French
health system (http://www.sante.gouv.fr). For long stays,
talk with the local French health office about registering in
France. Non-hospital expenditures in Paris are reimbursed
up to about 75 per cent (with documentation and receipts),
so it is important to check on supplemental insurance.
If your company is sending you to Paris, the personnel
department should be knowledgeable about health
insurance coverage for employees abroad. Check how
you will be covered and the extent of the coverage. If you
will be working for a French company, you will have the
documents that allow access to the French system. Once
in the system, you will have a numéro d'immatriculation ,
an identification number to be used in all health
care situations.
Americans on short stays should ask their insurance
carriers about coverage abroad and how to file a claim
from abroad. Check about coverage for long-term supplies
of medications. Older Americans should be aware that
Medicare does not honour claims abroad and should
investigate supplemental policies that offer coverage when
travelling for limited amounts of time. Canadians are
covered by the national health plan only to the amount that
similar services are covered at home, so most buy additional
insurance. Provincial Ministry of Health Offices and travel
agents have information.
Entering the French system may take time, so plan to
keep your own insurance until you are registered. If that is
impossible, try one of the private international insurance
companies that offer policies for people living outside their
home countries. They are all costly and their coverage may
not offer what you need for the long term. But most offer
several different insurance options, and all would be helpful
for interim coverage.