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General Organisation
Understand the French social protection system...
The French social protection system consists mainly of a set of compulsory schemes:
- The general scheme covers employees and their families (approximately 80% of the population). It is managed, nationally, by the Caisse nationale de l'assurance maladie des travailleurs salariés (National health insurance fund for salaried workers) (CNAMTS) and, locally, by the Caisses régionales d’assurance maladie (regional health insurance fund) (CRAM) and the Caisses primaires d’assurance maladie (Primary health insurance fund) (CPAM)
- The agricultural scheme covers farmers and agricultural employees, as well as their families (approximately 9 % of the population). It is managed by the Mutualité sociale agricole (Agricultural social mutual fund) (MSA)
- The independent scheme covers craftsmen, shopkeepers, members of the professions and their families (6 % of the population). It is managed by the Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie des professions indépendantes (National health insurance fund for independent professions) (CANAM)
- The special schemes are for certain specific categories (such as the military, the SNCF)
- The supplementary contribution schemes (ARRCO and AGIRC) are compulsory for all employees coming from the general scheme or the agricultural scheme
- The unemployment insurance scheme is aimed at all salaried employees
As soon as an employer takes on an employee in France, he is obliged to make a declaration prior to hiring the person to the Union de recouvrement des cotisations de sécurité sociale et d'allocations familiales (social security contribution collection body) (URSSAF) to which he belongs. This declaration in particular enables registration for social security, if the employee is not already registered, and inclusion in an unemployment insurance scheme.
Furthermore, people who do not belong to any compulsory scheme, either as insured parties or as entitled claimants, are compulsorily covered by Couverture maladie universelle (universal sickness cover) (CMU).
- To find out your membership conditions as well as how you can contribute according to your personal and professional situation: Click here
Additional Insurance Cover
As only part of health expenses are reimbursed, many French people have additional insurance cover. Three types of additional protection bodies coexist for all the risks covered by the legal schemes: the mutual societies, the private insurance companies and the provident funds. Additional protection may come from the individual but most frequently it is suggested to the insured parties collectively in the context of their professional work.
Text last edited on: 03/2010
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