Why you need 'mutuelle' top up health insurance and how the policies differ wildly

About a month ago I realised that I was due for a dental check up so I duly booked myself in. Two days before the appointment, a piece of an upper molar suddenly snapped off. It didn’t hurt and as I was going anyway, I wasn’t unduly concerned.

Having given my teeth a good clean and an extra deep clean (parodontologie - which is not refunded by the SÉCU), the dentist X-rayed my broken tooth. The damage turned out to be more extensive than I’d thought and as I have no desire to wander round looking like an extra from Pirates of the Caribbean, repair work was in order.

So I paid the bill - €300, all of which was refunded by my mutuelle and booked in for a further three appointments.

Three weeks later and I have a fantastic new crown. My dentist is excellent and I’m delighted with the standard of the work. I’ve also written cheques totalling €1780. Had I not had a mutuelle I would have been €1288.91 out of pocket. As it is, the excess is just €300. I know from experience that with a lesser mutuelle this excess would have been far higher and this is why it is so important to take professional advice.

In fact, the reason I discovered my broker (Fabien) was because I’d had problems with dental cover and a previous insurance company. I’m certainly not ‘wet behind the ears’ when it comes to sorting out insurance; we’ve been in France a long time and I speak good French but Fabien still found me a much better policy for about the same price. He is excellent and I can’t recommend him highly enough.

So if you are thinking about changing your mutuelle or wondering if you need one (you do!), get in touch with Fabien today!