Quote:
Originally Posted by yvanleterrible
How long do you have to work for a company before coverage become effective?
Here, depending on the ******* place you work for, it takes between 3 to 6 months before you get any coverage. And you get fired just before you get there and then they call you back a few months later to rehire you and then fire you back just before coverage takes effect.
I'm getting sick of it and there's no coverage fer that!
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actually, i'm pretty sure you are covered from the first day you start working. before that, you are covered through your parents' coverage. it's not paid for by your employer ; it's a government program. you pay contributions out of your salary so your coverage is dependent on your work situation but you have to make a real effort to find yourself without any coverage ; even if you're unemployed for so long that your coverage expires*, there is something called "CMU" or "Couverture Maladie Universelle" (Universal Health Coverage) which is for people who have no or very low income.
the government health insurance can be complemented by a private health insurance (a "Mutuelle"). they will usually pay the price of the "ticket moderateur" (the amount not reimbursed by the Sécu). for instance, a visit to a generalist doctor is 21€, reimbursed 70%. most medicine is also reimbursed at 70% if you have a prescription for it (not all ; some is reimbursed 30%, and some is not covered at all if it's not considered necessary medication. i believe most if not all homeopathic medecine, for instance, is not reimbursed even if it's prescribed by a doctor. and before my operation, the surgeon prescribed me "proteochoc" which is made with huile de bourrache (a plant extract), and a homeopathic mixture to help minimise the shock to my system, swelling, etc., and it was not reimbursed). the remaining 30% is paid by you, unless you have a mutuelle, in which case they pay. i have a mutuelle because i wear glasses, which are not well-covered by the sécu, and nor is dental work generally, so it's worth it. i pay for my mutuelle myself but originally it was a mutuelle paid by my employer (i kept the contract at my own expense when i left the company). i can't actually remember now, but i'm pretty sure that that coverage also begins immediately upon being hired.
*as an example, i switched from a salaried employee to a status of freelance about 5 or 6 years ago, and my health coverage from my previous salaried jobs ran through 2010 ; i've now switched over to a different branch because of my status but that's just an administrative formality and doesn't affect my coverage.