Here is what I know about the healthcare system in France. Everybody register with a family doctor – a généraliste. In most cases, people go through the family doctor for treatments so that the cost will be properly reimbursed. I heard it’s also easier to get an appointment with a specialist through the family doctor. In the case of maternity, however, it’s not necessary to go through the family doctor. We don’t have a family doctor, and we went directly to see a sage-femme (midwife).
People go to laboratories to do various tests and scans requested by doctors or other healthcare professionals. There may or may not be laboratories in or close to the hospital. Seems like laboratories are independent from hospitals. People can have their own choices of laboratories to have the tests done. In my case, the SF gives me a paper, which lists the blood test and urine test to be done. She uses a hospital stamp, and also signs on the paper. In the laboratory, I give that paper and my health insurance card to the register. And then, they will take samples for the tests, and give me an instruction about how to get the results online. By the way, they will confirm my birthday, because it’s the password to access the results online.
Similar to the laboratories, pharmacies are also independent from hospitals. There are so many pharmacies around the city. Just show them the prescription paper and the health insurance card. Depends on the type of medicine, the reimbursement percentage varies. I have had Fe and vitamin D supplement, which are 100% covered by social security and mutuelle. In comparison, for the pain reliever (to take during the irregular contractions at home), only 15% is covered.
One important thing if you do not have the carte vitale yet. After all, it takes months to get the carte vitale, even with best luck! The temporary social security number on the health insurance card (from mutuelle company) should work as well! But some people in the laboratories and pharmacies may not know that! For me, the first visit to the laboratory took me more than half an hour to register. Partly due to the language barrier, but mainly because she did not know about the temporary social security number. At last I took out the form of Declaration of Pregnancy that I was about to mail to CAF, and somehow she believed in that form (filled by us) more than the health insurance card. After that, my visit to the same laboratory has been easy and fast, although they still ask me whether I have the carte vitale every time I go. Similar things also happened to me in a pharmacy. People in one pharmacy insist to see the carte vitale. So I went to a different pharmacy, where people (not all) there know what to do.
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