How can I find a doctor who will accept my Ghic card in France?
The cards help visitors receive 鈥榤edically necessary treatment鈥�
You must make a request for costs to be refunded
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Reader Question: I have been able to use my Ghic card with no issues in French hospitals but cannot see any GP or other doctors advertised as accepting them. How do they work in this case?
This is not a case of finding a doctor that 鈥榓ccepts鈥� your card or not, but how the cost is reimbursed to you.
As a reminder, Ghic health cards for Britons allow travellers to receive 鈥榤edically necessary care鈥� in the same way and at the same rate as citizens of the EU country you are visiting.
They are similar to the French Carte europ茅enne d'assurance maladie.
Depending on the standard rules in the country where you are being treated, you may need to pay some, or all, of the bill upfront.
Unlike for urgent hospital care, where treatment is given first and bills sorted out later, for non-urgent appointments, such as those with GPs, payment is made at the time of the appointment in France.
This means you need to pay for the treatment as would the holder of a carte Vitale (French state healthcare card), and then be refunded later.
The main difference is that carte Vitale holders receive reimbursements automatically through the social security system, whereas you will need to manually apply for the refunds.
To have your costs refunded, keep documentation from your appointment (feuille de soins), and send this, as well as proof of any other costs (prescriptions and feuilles de soins for medicines etc) and a copy of your Ghic card to the local Cpam (caisse primaire d'assurance maladie).
You also need to provide your bank details so the Cpam can provide a refund.
You can ask for the Cpam鈥檚 address details during the appointment, or search online afterwards. Each department of France has at least one.
You will be covered at the same rate as a citizen using their carte Vitale.
Generally, this is 70% of the appointment fee minus any contributions such as a 鈧�2 flat-rate contribution fee or and any franchises m茅dicales (levies taken off reimbursements for medicines or certain medical acts), although this can vary based on appointment type.
If the doctor you visit is part of the 鈥榮ector 1鈥� of health providers, who do not charge more than the basic state rate, this will help maximise your refund.
If you visit a 鈥榮ector 2鈥� doctor they may charge extra but the refund is still based on a percentage of the standard amount, or slightly less if the doctor has not signed an agreement called Optam, promising to limit the extra amounts charged.
Sector 2 doctors that are honoraires libres (鈥榝reely-fixed rates鈥�) may see you pay even more and have even less reimbursed, meanwhile for those described as non conventionn茅 or Sector 3 there will be only a very minimal refund.
In most cases, therefore, you can expect some out-of-pocket costs. Travel insurance with a health element may reimburse some or all of these, depending on the cover included in the policy.
