The Carte Vitale is the health insurance card of the national health care system in France. It was introduced in 1998 to allow a direct settlement with the medical arm of the social insurance system. The declaration of a primary health insurance company (Caisse primaire d'assurance maladie) substitutes the card usage.[1]
Since 2008, a second generation of smart cards is being introduced—the "Carte Vitale 2" carries a picture for identification and the smart card has additional functions of an electronic health insurance card to carry electronic documents of the treatment process.[2] The first generation had been a family card carrying the names of all family members, thereby simply declaring they are covered by the French social security health care, while non-residents would need to use the European Health Insurance Card to prove their health insurance status.[3]
To be eligible for a Carte Vitale, you must be a citizen of France for 3 or more years. A Carte Vitale can be ordered from the official social security website of France, and will come in the mail within a 1-2 month period.[4]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Health care in France. French Property Links. Accessed May 23, 2012.
- ^ Carte Vitale. Accessed May 23, 2012.
- ^ Government - Healthcare in France Archived January 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Gemalto. Accessed May 23, 2012.
- ^ "Carte Vitale".
External links edit
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Media related to Carte Vitale at Wikimedia Commons
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