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Krill

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“I have just had a quote for top up insurance 125% of 85 euros per month, my wife and I are 53, is this a good quote or should I shop round?”

Very hard to say ! Firstly do you mean that the quote is for 125% of 85€ in other words 106.25€ a month or do you mean that the quote is for reimbursement of 125% of convention for 85€ a month ?

 

I assume the quote is for both of you and the total annual cost for the two of you, is therefore 1020€ a year or 1275€ a year.

 

Then you have to look at the cover provided, is the cover a % of convention, and if so what % cover do they offer or is the cover for all charges – frais reels ?

 

Do you have dental cover or optician cover and are these restricted ?

 

The insurer we use would cost 443€ a year, per person at age 53 for cover which gives a full refund of all charges, routine dental work to 450€, with crowns limited to to 225€.. There is an overall limit of 160,000€ a year per person for claims.

 

It is always difficult to compare apples with apples when looking at a mutuelle, I hope this helps.

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From the look of it this mutualist doesn't cover everything, neither does ours. I'm not sure that one exists that pays everything, although maybe they would if one paid a fortune to them.

ie ours reimburses 268,75 euros for crowns the CPAM will give us a further 75,25 euros and I will have a further 204,80 to pay to have a ceramic crown, metal one's, I might add, would leave nothing for me to pay. But there again, I have no desire to look like Jaws from the Bond films........ which I still think might be better than all those I know (including women, which saddens and shocks me somewhat) who have no front teeth.

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Hello

I do not want to be a sour puss but you need to be wary here. These premiums look too low. It would be interesting to know how long this outfit has been issuing complementary insurance in France. My guess is that it is less than 3 years. I say this because although premiums like this may have been available 3 - 5 years ago I would say it is impossible to find them now (apart from this example). Medical inflation rates are running at 7 - 8% a year and in the last 18 months or so a greater burden of healthcare funding has been passed on to the complementary insurers because of announced healthcare reforms. Most of us have seen our premiums rise accordingly over the last couple of years to the tune of 20 - 30% or more.

If this is a comparative newcomer in the market then to grab market share it must advertise lavishly and/or set artificially low premiums. An underwriter may weather losses for a couple of years but eventually reality sets in and one or two things happen. There is a considerable hike in premiums and/or the benefits are reduced. Or secondly the underwriter pulls out altogether. In this event it may not be difficult to find another underwriter but the premiums will be set at a realistic level. It will be interesting to know who the actual underwriters are because if blue chip insurers such as Groupama (no personal interest here by the way) cannot offer these premiums how can they?

So make hay etc but do not be too surprised if there are some shocks ahead.

Regards

Peter Owen

pjowen@rivieramail.com
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I'd like the details too please, LesL. I'm finding this part of setting up life in France quite confusing and if anyone else is particularly satisfied with their top up provider, could they also send me the name. I have a feeling I'm going to be back with more questions on this topic over the next few weeks.

Carole
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Would someone please direct me to the web site of an insurance company or two, that actually offers “top up” medical insurance, as I am having difficulty identifying such a beast.If there is such a thing as a “top ten” French insurance companies offering this cover, I would be most interested and grateful for the information.

Thanking you.

Rod

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While I appreciate your response, I was rather hoping for some assistance and suggestions from members with experience of the situation. Yellow Pages is a bit of a lottery. Also, we have not yet moved over and are trying to arrange as much as possible before we arrive.
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We have had an interesting year comparing prices between most mutuels offering "complementaire sante", We have been with Axa 2 years, they are not health insurance specialists. We have found Swiss Life to be the most competitive. make sure you get a reduction for being British, our agent informed us that "english people very rarely make claims & thus they could offer discount".

Beware!!! a lot of insurance companies like Axa want 3 months notice, when we went for Swiss Life they presumed 2 months was the norm, & did not get the notice to terminate out in time, we have had to make do with a policy for another year that gives us less than half the cover we were offered by Swiss Life.  joan

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Hya,

Swiss Life Group ( France ) ( Societe suisse ) have their own offices & their policies are also sold by brokers. I live in 24 & used a Swiss Life Office on the outskirts west of Perigueux. Swiss Life  used to sponsor the Meteo on T1 before the 8p.m. news,  they are a national company, headquarters in Paris. They also do motor & house insurance at very competitive prices, we aim by next year to have all our insurance with them. They have different formulas for health to choose from, also formulas for seniors..61 to 80. I also received Swiss Life health quotes & actual policy details in english from a broker in Bordeaux. 

Prices vary for the type of cover you need or want, we were quoted between 71,39e for the cheapest formula  up to 105,65e for the dearest formula per month for the 2 of us aged 57 & 62. These prices include the discount offered us, & it is up to us to choose which formula we want.  The broker in Bordeaux was slightly more expensive, but feel sure we could have got his prices down to the same as the actual Swiss Sante office.      Hope this helps.   joan

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Hello,

Your comments are obviously given in good faith but the counsel may be misleading. I am sure it is not intentionally so. The fact that you find AXA unsatisfactory, and SWISS LIFE otherwise, may be valid in respect of your individual circumstances. Frankly, both these providers are reputable outfits (and I have no financial interest in either) but both of them may suit others.

The key factor in the choice of complementary insurer is whether one or more of their plans are appropriate to YOU. For Brits burdened with no option, but the NHS or probably extortionate private insurance, this concept can be difficult to grasp.

I enjoy excellent health, but you never know; so my insurance covers me for hospitalisation and treatment ante and post such a stay. The very infrequent occasion I do have to visit a doctor I am happy to pay out of my own pocket, what the state will not. But whilst this suits me it may not be the case for someone, who, for example, is perhaps on regular medication and requires such cover from insurance.

Regards

Peter Owen

pjowen@rivieramail.com

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[quote]Hya, Swiss Life Group ( France ) ( Societe suisse ) have their own offices & their policies are also sold by brokers. I live in 24 & used a Swiss Life Office on the outskirts west of Perigueu...[/quote]

Joanl,

You are obviously a fan of Swiss Life and it may be the case that they are the best thing since sliced bread, however you post does not assist me in making an intelligent decision.

The top level of cover is almost 20% more expensive than our current provider, and the base level is over 50% more expensive. However the levels of cover provided by Swiss Life may be more beneficial.

Can you elaborate please, on the cover provided by the more expensive option:

Is it the case, for example, that at the higher cover level you receive reimbursement on the basis of a % of convention up to the actual charge or do you receive payment over and above the actual charge, in essence a profit? (if it can be described as such).

What cover is provided for dental care?

What cover is provided for spectacles, or eye tests?

Swiss Life may well be a far better deal for 20% more cash, but unless you provide more detail it is impossible to compare apples with apples etc.

 

 

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