Top Health Insurance Companies in France for Expats

If you’re an expat living in France, choosing the right health insurance provider is crucial for access to quality care. Some of the best health insurance companies in France for expats include Bupa, Allianz, AXA, and IMG. These insurers offer a range of coverage options to suit different needs, from basic emergency plans to comprehensive family health coverage.

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In this article, we’ll help you navigate through the top 10 health insurance companies in France, providing an overview of each provider’s plans and benefits to assist you in finding the best coverage for your situation.

Leading Health Insurers in France for Expats

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Among the top 10 insurance companies in France for expats and foreigners are providers such as Bupa, April International, AXA, Allianz, and IMG. These insurers offer comprehensive coverage for expats in France.

Below we have a list of top 10 insurance companies in France.

Bupa Global: Tailored Health Insurance Plans for Expats

Bupa Global is Bupa’s division specializing in international health insurance for expats, families, groups, as well as businesses. Available Bupa health insurance plans will vary depending on where the expat lives.

Bupa Global offers four tiers of health insurance plans such as Major Medical, Select, Premier, and Elite. Major Medical is the most basic of the four while Elite is the most comprehensive, and each plan will offer its fair share of benefits and limitations.

Major Medical

The Major Medical plan covers sudden medical emergencies and major medical expenses as well as medical evacuation and repatriation. However, Major Medical plans under Bupa Global do not cover wellness or routine appointments.

The annual deductible for this plan is GBP 2,500,000 (which is approximately USD $3,174,200 or 2,955,799.17 French Euro).

Select

The Select plan covers health screenings as well as wellness examinations after a 10-month waiting period. However, Select plans lack maternity, dental, and optical coverage.

The annual deductible for this plan is GBP 1,250,000 (which is approximately USD $1,587,100 or 1,477,899.58 French Euro).

Premier

The Premier plan covers wellness examinations (after a 10-month waiting period) and health screenings, vaccinations, as well as dental and vision care. However, this plan lacks repatriation coverage despite covering medical evacuation.

The annual deductible for this plan is GBP 1,875,000 (which is approximately USD $2,380,600 or 2,216,802.82 French Euro).

Elite

The Elite plan covers medical evacuation and repatriation, complementary therapies, health examinations, routine maternity care, as well as dental and optical care after a 10-month waiting period.

The annual deductible for this plan is GBP 3,750,000 (which is approximately USD $4,761,300 or 4,433,698 French Euro).

April International: Health Coverage Options for Expats in France

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April International offers health insurance for expats through the MyHealth International plans and features five primary tiers of coverage. These include the Emergency Plan, Formule Basic Plan, Essential Plan, Comfort Plan, and Premium Plan.

The annual benefit limits for the Emergency, Formule Basic, and Essential plans are 250,000 euros, 500,000 euros, and 1,000,000 euros, respectively. Meanwhile, the annual benefit limits for the Comfort and Premium plans are unlimited.

The Emergency and Formule Basic Plan

The Emergency plan covers hospitalization costs only for accidents or medical emergencies as well as medical repatriation while lacking private room and comprehensive cancer care coverage.

Meanwhile, the formule basic plan covers medical repatriation while lacking comprehensive cancer care and private room coverage like its emergency plan counterpart. However, this plan offers full hospitalization cost coverage.

The Essential, Comfort, and Premium Plan

The Essential, Comfort, and Premium plans all cover medical repatriation and comprehensive cancer care, and also offer full coverage on hospitalization and private hospital rooms.

AXA International: Affordable and Comprehensive Plans

AXA’s five tiers of international health insurance plans include the Foundation, Standard, Comprehensive, Prestige, and Prestige Plus plans. Below are explanations on each of the five tiers of international health insurance plans from AXA.

Foundation Plan

The Foundation plan from AXA has an annual limit of USD $160,000 (approximately 148,991.20 French euros). Below are the areas that AXA’s Foundation plan covers.

  • Inpatient hospital charges and surgeries
  • Emergency care
  • Medical evacuation and repatriation
  • Cancer treatments
  • Ambulance transportation
  • CT, PET, and MRI scans
  • Outpatient treatment, examinations, and vaccinations (optional)
  • Outpatient drugs and dressings (optional)

Standard Plan

The Standard plan from AXA has an annual limit of USD $1,600,000 (approximately 1,489,912 French euros) and features the same coverage areas as the aforementioned Foundation plan with additional dental care coverage.

Comprehensive Plan

The Comprehensive plan from AXA has an annual limit of USD $2,400,000 (approximately 2,234,868 French euros) and features the same coverage areas as the Standard plan with the addition of chronic condition coverage and eye examination with prescription glasses coverage.

The outpatient coverage seen in the previous two plan types is also added to the Comprehensive plan rather than being an optional addition.

Prestige Plan

The Prestige plan from AXA has an annual limit of USD $3,200,000 (approximately 2,979,824 French euros). It features the same coverage with additions as the Comprehensive plan with added maternity and annual health check coverage.

Prestige Plus Plan

The Prestige Plus plan from AXA features all the same coverage areas with additions as its regular Prestige plan counterpart with the only difference being the annual limit being bumped up to USD $8,000,000 (approximately 7,449,560 French euros).

Allianz Care: Top Health Insurance for Expats

Allianz Care offers three plans for expats in need of international health insurance such as the Allianz Care plan, the Allianz Care Plus plan, and the Allianz Care Pro plans. Below are explanations of each international health insurance plan from Allianz Care.

Allianz Care Plan

The Allianz Care plan features a maximum plan limit of USD $2,500,000 (approximately 2,327,987.50 French euros). This plan covers semi-private inpatient and day-care hospital rooms, oncology, medical evacuation, home nursing, rehabilitation, and emergency outpatient treatment.

Allianz Care Plus Plan

Featuring a maximum plan limit of USD $4,000,000 (approximately 3,724,780 French euros), the Allianz Care Plus plan covers private inpatient and day-care hospital rooms, followed by the same coverage areas as the Allianz Care Plan.

A notable addition to the Allianz Care Plus plan’s various areas of coverage is emergency dental treatment.

Allianz Care Pro Plan

The Allianz Care Pro plan, with a maximum plan limit of USD $5,000,000 (approximately 4,655,975 French euros), covers the same areas as the Allianz Care Plus plan but with added preventative surgery and laser eye treatment coverage.

IMG Global: Global Coverage for Expats in France

Through a global medical plan, IMG Global’s international health insurance plans are available in four different categories of coverage. These include Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Below are the lifetime limits of each category.

  • Bronze: USD $1,000,000/individual (approximately 933,300 French euros)
  • Silver: USD $5,000,000/individual (approximately 4,666,500 French euros)
  • Gold: USD $5,000,000/individual (approximately 4,666,500 French euros)
  • Platinum: USD $8,000,000/individual (approximately 7,466,400 French euros)

For more information on coverage details, please click here for further reading.

Henner: Tailored Health Insurance Solutions for Expats

Henner, a leader in the French group health insurance market, features innovative health and life insurance solutions. This independent French insurer works with various companies to design and manage health insurance plans for employees as well as their family members.

If you would like to learn more about Henner, please visit our insurer page on Henner for further reading.

Now Health: Flexible Coverage Options for Expats in France

International health insurance plans from Now Health International cover expats worldwide and can be tailored to fit every expat’s unique healthcare needs and comfortable budget range. Additionally, options available for worldwide coverage consist of including the US and excluding the US.

For more information on coverage areas and benefits, please click here for further reading.

MSH International: Custom Health Insurance Plans for Expats

International health insurance plans from MSH International are available through their First’Expat+ plans, offering comprehensive coverage for expats and their families while overseas and allowing access to routine and emergency care.

Core benefits of the First’Expat+ plans feature four primary tiers, including Hospi, Health, Health+, and Health+Child. The Hospi tier covers hospital and medical evacuation, and the Health tier covers routine healthcare services, third-party liability, and legal assistance services.

Meanwhile, the Health+ tier covers dental and vision services. And finally, the Health+Child tier covers maternity services.

Aviva: Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans for Expats

Aviva offers car, home, travel, and most importantly health insurance to individuals, including expats, as well as families and businesses. As one of the UK’s leading insurers with years of experience, Aviva’s employees shine in their dedication to customers.

Aviva’s core health insurance plan covers specialist consultation and/or treatment, diagnostics tests, hospital charges, full cancer coverage, and outpatient mental health treatment. Below are the additional areas available as add-on coverage.

  • Dental and optical care.
  • Mental health upgrade.
  • Other treatments or therapies such as chiropractic, physiotherapy, or osteotherapy.
  • Extended hospital list.
  • Protected no-claim discount.

If you would like to learn more about Aviva’s health insurance or any of their other insurance products, please visit our page on Aviva for further reading.

Cigna: Reliable International Health Insurance for Expats

Cigna Global offers four tiers for their international health insurance plans, featuring Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Close Care. All four plans offer worldwide coverage with optional US coverage. However, the Close Care plan only offers domestic coverage.

For more information on Cigna Global’s international health insurance plans, including coverage details and benefits, click here for further reading.

Secure Health Insurance With Pacific Prime

From Bupa and Allianz to Axa and Cigna, these different international health insurance companies have something for every expat living in France. While eligibility or paperwork can be complicated depending on the particular provider, it doesn’t always have to be a headache.

As an international health insurance broker, Pacific Prime has over 20 years of experience in helping match both expats and local citizens to a health insurance plan that suits both their unique healthcare needs and budget range.

Whether you’re a local French citizen yourself or an expat living in France, our team of specialists will be more than happy to help you out. And if you have any further questions, please get in touch with us and get a free quote here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much is health insurance in France?

On average, the cost of health insurance in France for one person is around 40 French euros (approximately USD $45). Prices will vary depending on the particular policy and the benefits offered.

Is healthcare in France free for expats?

Foreigners are not covered by the French social security and they must pay the full cost of healthcare services for whichever treatment they wish to receive in France.

What happens if I don’t have health insurance in France?

If you lack health insurance in France, you will be forced to pay upfront for any medical emergencies such as illnesses and injuries. Additionally, depending on the severity of your medical emergency, healthcare expenses may vary. Thus, having a health insurance plan beforehand is crucial.

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Head of Content at Pacific Prime
Serena Fung is the Head of Content at Pacific Prime, a global insurance brokerage and employee specialist serving over 1.5 million clients in 15 offices across the world. With 6+ years of experience writing about the subject, she aims to demystify the world of insurance for readers with the latest updates, guides and articles on the blog.

Serena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. As such, she is an avid advocate of mental health and is fascinated by all things psychology (especially if it’s cognitive psychology!).

Her previous work experience includes teaching toddlers to read, writing for a travel/wellness online magazine, and then a business news blog. These combined experiences give her the skills and insights she needs to explain complex ideas in a succinct way. Being the daughter of an immigrant and a traveler herself, she is passionate about educating expats and digital nomads on travel and international health insurance.
Serena Fung
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