HEALTH
Social Security (CPAM - the Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie)
The Social Securitysystem ensures that you are reimbursed for all or part of what you pay on most medicine and doctor consultations, and provides accident disability, old age and housing benefits.
All salaried employees must register with the French Social Security system (la Sécurité Sociale). This gives you the status of assuré social. Every month, you contribute a certain amount to the Sécurité Sociale, so that the majority of your health care expenses are later refunded.
Your contributions are deducted at source from your salary. Your dependents (or ayants droit) are also eligible for Social Security cover.
The ILL PAIE office will help you with your initial enrollment and the international mobility consultant can help you with the enrollment of family members.
For more information about how health insurance works:
Visit the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) website
For inquiries about your account:
Social security English language information line: 0974 75 3646
Social security general information (in French): 3436
ILL contact:
ILL Personnel Administration and Payroll group - ILL 4 - Office 022 – Tel: 0476 20 70 02 email: paie@ill.fr
ILL International Mobilityconsultant – ILL 4 – Office 052 – Tel: 04 76 20 7678 email: rupin@ill.fr
Family benefits
Social security health coverage extends to:
- the spouse of the insured individual (assuré social), if he/she is not eligible for cover in his/her own right
- dependent children under the age of 16,
- dependent children aged between 16 and 20 who are still in full-time education or unable to accept paid employment,
- the common-law partner of the assuré social, subject to certain conditions regarding family status, income and place of residence.
The Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM) health insurance office handles all social security claims. The CPAM office is responsible for issuing the Carte Vitale, a smart card in which details of your entitlement to Social Security cover are stored. It is also the office issuing the European Health Insurance Card, which gives access to health care in the other countries of the European Union.
You can go to your local CPAM to establish your social security entitlements, for you and your family, as soon as you receive your first monthly pay slip.
TIP: The processing times are long (at least 6 to 10 weeks). Be sure to take out private insurance to cover your children and spouse while you wait for them to be registered with French health insurance.
To ensure that you are properly reimbursed, it is important to update your Carte Vitale regularly (at any chemist's or CPAM office), especially if your circumstances change (pregnancy, birth of the child, handicap, etc.).
If you have already been registered with the social security system in another EU country, you and your family members must provide the following documents:
- a completed form 1104 (and / or E104) (available from the CPAM)
- your old Carte Vitale (if you have one)
- your bank details (RIB - Relevé d’Identité Bancaire if possible)
- a photocopy of your identity card or passport
- a certified translated copy of your birth certificate
- Proof of employment (in France), showing that you:
- have worked at least 60 hours in the month (employer's certificate, employment contract, pay slip ...) or, have paid contributions from a salary equal to at least 60 times the hourly minimum wage (SMIC), for 1 month, or
- have worked at least 120 hours, or have paid contributions from a salary equal to at least 120 times the hourly minimum wage (SMIC), for 3 months, or
- have worked at least 1200 hours, or have paid contributions from a salary equal to at least 2030 times the hourly minimum wage (SMIC), for 1 year.
If you come from a country outside the EU, you and your family members must provide the following documents:
- the same documents and certificates (except form 1104)
- the receipt proving that you have applied for a residence permit (récépissé de demande de carte de séjour), or the short-stay consular visa.
For more information, see the website of the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) - Health Insurance and Complementary Health Coverage - international.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/getting-organized/insurances/health-insurance/health-insurance-and-complementary-health-coverage/health-insurance-and-complementary-health-coverage-783881.kjsp
To search for a bilingual doctor
- Use search filters on https://www.doctolib.fr/
- A list of bilingual doctors can be found on the ILL intranet in the section, CPAI Staff Integration Support
- Contact ILL International Mobility consultant – ILL 4 – Office 052 – Tel: 04 76 20 7678 email: rupin@ill.fr
Although there will be no difference in your level of reimbursement regardless of whether or not you designate your Médecin traitant. However,if you do not designate a Médecin traitant, or if you do not first consult him/her before seeing another consultant, your consultations will not be reimbursed at the same level.
For example, you will pay €23 for a consultation with a doctor charging standard health system fees with no surcharges ("practicing in Sector 1").
- If the doctor is your Médecin traitant, you will be in compliance with the recommended consultation path, or parcours de soins coordonnés, In this case, the Assurance Maladie will reimburse 70% of the consultation fee, minus the €1 of participation forfaitaire (fixed contribution). You will therefore be reimbursed €15.10.
- If the doctor is not your Médecin traitant, the Assurance Maladie will only reimburse you 30% of the consultation fee, minus the €1 fixed contribution. Therefore, you will be reimbursed €5.90.
Emergencies
A list of the doctors on call is published every Saturday in the local newspapers. The list can also often be seen on the local town hall notice boards. You can call SOS médecin by dialing: 08 20 33 24 24. You can also call the Hôtel de Policeor local police station.
There is a list of on-call chemistsand a list of hospitalstogether with emergency phone numberson the Grenoble city website.
Emergency Hotlines
Samu - 15
Police Secours - 17
Pompiers - 18
Général - 112
Health care for mothers and children - the PMI
The PMI (protection maternelle et infantile) is dedicated to mother and child health care. It organises medical visits for pregnant women and for children up to the age of six. It also organises health check-ups in primary schools and social and medical assistance in the home. Most of these services are provided free of charge.
For more information, see the relevant page on the website of Isere Department: