How do CFE and complementary insurance work?

When you live abroad, you can choose to take an expatriate insurance that completely covers you called expat insurance or a “top-up” insurance known as CFE insurance. If you are European and have been living in France for over 10 years, you can subscribe to the CFE. If you are eligible to CFE insurance, here is some information about expat insurance: CFE and complementary insurance.

What is CFE?

The CFE is the Caisse des Français de l’Etranger. By paying a quarterly fee, this private organization, will support your medical expenses with the same percentages and reimbursement limits of French social security. When you want to go abroad, you can subscribe to the CFE so it will support a part of your health expenses abroad. It is very important to take a complementary insurance that will support the unpaid part and also pay directly hospitalization costs.

How will I be reimbursed by the CFE?

In order to subscribe to the CFE, you will have to pay a quarterly fee, which will be calculated according to your income, your age and family status. The CFE offers three insurances: illness and maternity, work accidents and occupational diseases and also pension insurance which allows you to contribute to the French pension system. The health care reimbursement system is based on the French Social Security reimbursement rate. For example, if you are paying 80€ for a consultation in your country of expatriation, you will be refunded at the time of care, 70% of 23€ by the CFE. If you don’t have complementary expat insurance, the rest will be on your charge. If you have additional insurance, it will cover the remaining costs according to your policy benefits.

In countries where medical costs are high (United States, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Brazil, Australia ...), outstanding cost could reach extremely high amount of money. Therefore it is essential in these countries and highly recommended in others to subscribe to an additional insurance to support your costs. Some insurance policies will even take care of your direct costs of hospitalization.

As an expatriate insurance broker, Mondassur allows you to have a single contact to subscribe CFE and expat insurance for your stay abroad as well as getting your reimbursement. This system is more convenient and reduces time for getting reimbursed. You send your claims to Mondassur which reimburses you according to the policy benefits and obtains the CFE reimbursement.

Friday, 03 February 2012 10:10