Under the current political status quo, if you have a current S1 form (which I do) is it still necessary/advisable to also have mutuelle top-up cover in addition to a Carte Vitale ?
(Don’t yet have a CV…seems we need to register the S1…plus have 3-month residency…plus assorted paperwork…before we can apply. Allegedly…)
Holding an S1 doesn’t affect whether or not you take out a Mutuelle (top-up insurance) - the two things aren’t linked.
Your decision on whether or not to take out a Mutuelle will purely be based on the level of reimbursement you expect from your medical expenditure. Your CPAM will generally reimburse around 60-70% of some expenditure (i.e. prescriptions / treatment) and 100% of recognised ALD illnesses (just Google them!). The rest is personal choice.
A Carte Vitale is simply an automated payment / reimbursement card linked to both your CPAM and, if applicable, your Mutuelle. The card itself does not afford you any rights.
Correct (not allegedly) - you can apply for affiliation (in your case via the S1 route) to the CPAM after 3 months residency. The Carte Vitale is a by-product of affiliation to enable automated payments as already mentioned.
Thanks Simon…that’s v. helpful (especially the last para) - but it prompts the q of what an S1 actually does that a CV and Mutuelle top-up cover don’t ?
It means the UK picks up the tab for the State funded portion.
aaaaahhhhhhh…ok…
However you can’t take out a mutuelle until you have a social security number. And often, for new immigrants you get your first SS number when you register with CPAM for your carte vitale.
For many years we didn’t bother with a mutuelle as we were in generally good health (and the bits that weren’t as good were covered by an ALD). However we decided to last year as there was the possibility of some expensive operations on the horizon. Since our health actually remained ok that decision cost us quite a lot of money I think we paid out over 1,000€ more than we got back. So a mutuelle is for peace of mind rather than certain financial benefit.
i.e. until your are affiliated, by whatever method, to the CPAM.
You DO NOT register with the CPAM for your Carte Vitale. You apply to the CPAM for affiliation to the French health system - via whatever route e.g. S1, Cotisations (8% RFR), or income based.
One more time…the Carte Vitale is SIMPLY an automated payment card, normally issued to those affiliated to the French health system to facilitate rapid (instant up to 3-4 days) electronic payment and reimbursement. If you don’t have one, but do have an SS number, you simply go down the manual reimbursement route (feuille de soins).
Some folks get so hung up on the Carte Vitale - it is not the be all and end all…you don’t NEED one but it does make life a lot easier 
I was using shorthand… but for many the CV isn’t an automated payment card as still have to use feuille de soins. It is more an embodiment of your affiliation. We still have doctors and specialists that need paying directly.
No it is not - your Attestation de Droits performs that function quite simply because your CV may not have been updated for some time. And yes - there are doctors and specialists who still don’t accept the CV - no big deal. 
Jane - let’s try not to argue about this indefinitely - it confuses readers of the discussion
On the SS topic, our local insurers say that we’d initially be given a temporary number - which’d still enable us to immediately fit together all other other parts of the healthcare jigsaw - as apparently it can take months for a permanent SS number to be issued.
Exactly - some folks have temp numbers for months / years - no need for CV as they use the Feuille de Soins system instead.
All about the carte vitale here.
Good one Mandy …and…when you opt for the relatively new online medical record system - DMP (Dossier Médical Partagé) - you get a little sticker to put on your CV to alert medical pros that they can access your medical history (if you let them!).
Oh that’s a new system then. Already getting out of touch with French life… 
With the DMP do you have to tell people to add to it? I signed up, but no-one has added stuff apart from the pharmacy. I had hoped that scans and so on would be linked automatically? And if you do have to tell them how have you done it?
Interesting question Jane… I would, also, expect stuff to go on automatically… otherwise what is the point… Mme XYZ who has never used a computer in her life … is not going to be able to scan and email or whatever… whereas if it is done at source… click… click… and it is there for all to see (if authorised)…
Historical stuff is not added automatically so just scan / copy (from discs / docs etc) and upload. I guess Madame XYZ is stuffed if she can’t use 2019 technology…
Automatic additions to the DMP are slowly, very slowly, becoming the norm as various segments of the health provision system upgrade their computerised systems. The Oncology Dept at the CHU at Poitiers does now place things like ‘Compte Rendu’ on the patients DMP but the Urology Dept doesn’t as yet. The local Laboratoire that I use for blood tests doesn’t do it either yet, but they assure me that they are working on it. However they are an independent business and so there is obviously a cost involved to alter their systems. No doubt it will all get sorted out in time.
In the meantime I scan and upload my own entries onto my DMP, but clearly there will be many people who are unable to do that for various reasons.
Thanks for the update Robert…
I’ll check with my MT… see what he advises… it is quite possibly sufficient to be detailed within the File… without uploading extra bumpf… I’ll see what he says.
I have had scans and specialist appointments since I signed up to DMP, but nothing has been added. However should I have asked them to do so? I assumed that since they take your CV it would be obvious, and adding things to the file would be automatic. Does that not happen?