Costs of a long-term stay in Hospital in France

[NormanH]

I am posting in response to another

thread in which the question of the costs of a Hospital stay in

France was raised.

In my experience the following things

need to be taken into account;

1. Cost of treatment: is the

   treatment re-imbursed at 100%, as is the case with many serious
   problems such as cancer, or is it at a lower % tarif. In which case
   the rest of the cost has to be met either by the patient or a
   « Mutuell » (top-up) insurance? Details of how much is
   covered are available from the Ameli website. Some time you need
   prior approval for certain things, or they won't be re-imbursed

2. Clinique or Hospital : in

   both basic costs are paid by the CPAM, but in private cliniques many
   surgeons charge extra dépassement
   des horaires' which the
   CPAM will not cover. Depending on the conditions of your Mutualle it
   may cover this part. For example if you have a 200 % cover the
   Mutualle will pay up to double the tarif agreed by the CPAM

3. Daily costs : there

   is a daily charge of 18 euros for 'living' (food laundry etc) which
   is not covered by the CPAM.If you have a Mutuelle this will normally
   be covered and there is nothing for the patient to pay as the
   Hospital is re-imbursed directly. It may be necessary for you to ask
   your Mutuelle to fax the Hospital with confirmation that they will
   meet this charge before you go in or you may find it on your final
   bill when you leave, and have to claim it back

4. If

   you want a Single Room
   this has to be paid for either by you or your Mutuelle.

   It

   is around 45 Euros a day, and most Mutuelles have a limit on how
   many days they will cover, often multiple of 30, such as 30/60/90
   etc. Make sure you know how many days you have covered

   .

5. After

   care: you may need a stay in Nursing home .
   )(Maison de repos) This has to be requested by the Doctor or Surgeon
   at the hospital, and you can ask the 'Aide Sociale' to help you find
   one. Again basic care is paid for by the CPAM, but Mutuelles often
   wont pick up the cost of a single room, even the ones that do this
   for the Hospital.

   A

   stay in such an establishment can be long (even several months)
   while you get back on your feet, but various things such as
   physiotherapy and psychological support are available

6. You

   may have ancillary needs such as Telephone/TV etc.
   These can work out expensive and you have to pay these naturally.
   For example TV in the room in my nursing home is 100 euros a month,
   and that is by no means the highest price

[idun]

I went to our nearest CHU for something minor and the surgeon did a depassement d'honoraires there.A state hospital and I was really surprised, this was in about 2001-2002. No idea why, but I was thankful to get the little op done never the less.

[Cat]

[quote user="NormanH"]

4. If you want a Single Room this has to be paid for either by you or your Mutuelle.

   It is around 45 Euros a day, and most Mutuelles have a limit on how many days they will cover, often multiple of 30, such as 30/60/90 etc. Make sure you know how many days you have covered

[/quote]

 

If you ask for a single room, you (or your mutuelle) will have to cover the cost, but if you need (or are given) a single room in hospital or private clinic, there is no extra charge.

[NormanH]

It comes down to who decides on need.

I have to pay for mine in the nursing home , even though I have had such a low white blood count that I risked infection.

On the other hand it is true that if you don't ask and they put you in a single room any way because they don't have a double available you don't have to pay, which seems very unfair to me who will pay over 2000 Euros for something I feel I need.

You are right that if you ask for a single room you have to pay, which is why in the Hospital I was in they give single rooms only to people who make the specific request, and agree to pay,or are really in a desperate state, a much fairer system in my opinion.

[Cat]

[quote user="NormanH"]It comes down to who decides on need.
I have to pay for mine in the nursing home , even though I have had such a low white blood count that I risked infection.

[/quote]

That's shocking.

Maybe it's as much of a postcode lottery in France as the UK then.  I had a severely depleted white blood cell count and accompanying infection a few weeks ago, and was given a single room in a private clinic, along with reverse barrier nursing care.

[NormanH]

I have sent you a pm