Aide Complémentaire Santé
You should already have your Carte Vitalle but as you know this only covers about 70% of your potential health expenses. To cover that extra 30%, you need to take out Top-up Insurance.The French Government offers assistance in funding this top-up insurance depending on your level of income - you could be entitled to as much as 550€.
What is the Scheme?
The scheme is called Aide Complémentaire Santé (ACS).Top-up Health Cover can be expensive. Under the scheme, you can receive assistance up to a maximum of 550€ per person; this is rarely enough to completely cover your costs.
The grant is means-tested and you have to apply for it - you will not receive it automatically. Although it is designed to assist families below income tax thresholds, even if you are just into taxable earnings you might still get support so do apply.
Who is entitled?
Potentially, it applies to everyone in the French Health System but entitlement is means tested - according to your income.For 2018, the income limits are shown in the table below. So for a married couple if your total income is less than 18,000€ you can probably claim assistance.
| Number of Persons | Income limit € |
|---|---|
| in Household | pannum |
| 1 | 11,894 |
| 2 | 17,840 |
| 3 | 21,408 |
| 4 | 24,976 |
| these limits apply from 1st April 2018 | |
There are a few adjustments that might apply:
- If you are a house owner, the limits are effectively reduced (between 60€ - 120€ per month or between 360€ - 1,440€ per annum) depending on your circumstances.
- The maximum benefit you can receive depends on your age - over 60's get the most: about 550€ per person.
- The system has been revised recently and there are three specific levels of cover you can buy; the differences relate to what costs you want your insurance to cover.
What are the benefits?
There is a calculator on the national health website where you can estimate any cash benefit you might receive.It takes you through several pages of questions before offering you an estimate. This is only an estimate of course, only a formal application will get you properly assessed.
Then depending on the ACS Contract you choose, most or all of your potential health expenses will be covered - for example: an unlimited daily allowance for hospital stays.
How can I apply?
You can download the application form from the www.info.acs.fr site.Fill in the form and take it along to your local CPAM office (the Confolens office - in the Hôtel de Ville - is currently closed for the "Easter break" as others might be).
You will need to provide details of your Taxe Fonciere, Taxe d'Habitation, Income Tax, Bank Interest, etc.
More Information
All information on ACS (Aide Complementaire Sante) can be found on www.info-acs.fr (it is all in French so be prepared).The French National Health website is www.ameli.fr (english language version); it gives information on all health matters; they also provide the ACS Simulator
