Supplemental health insurance
The French social security system reimburses only the mandatory portion of your medical expenses.
A (corporate or individual) supplemental health insurance covers the supplementary portion. Having a supplemental health insurance is not compulsory, but if you don’t have one, you will have to pay yourself for the supplementary part.
People with low income can request a free supplemental health insurance (in French, CMU complémentaire – CMU-C). If you don’t meet the requirements for CMU-C, you can request the assistance for the supplemental health insurance (in French, aide pour une complémentaire santé – ACS). Both the CMU-C and the ACS are allocated under income and residence conditions.