Long-term expatriate health insurance

No. Membership of the CFE (Caisse des Français de l’Étranger, the French state fund for citizens abroad) is voluntary, and each of its three branches (health-maternity, retirement, workplace accidents) is activated independently. Its health contribution, a flat rate by age bracket, runs from around €170 to more than €900 a quarter for a single person, and rose by 11% on 1 April 2026, except for incomes below around €24,030 a year, which were exempt from the increase. No medical questionnaire is required, which makes it a common option for pre-existing conditions or as retirement approaches.

The CFE reimburses on the basis of French rates, not the actual bill from your host country: a consultation invoiced at €120 abroad is reimbursed only around €17.50. First-euro insurance reimburses the actual cost, no medical questionnaire for the CFE, against medical screening with private insurers, and generally includes medical repatriation (€10,000 to €100,000 depending on the destination), which the CFE does not cover. In return, only the CFE validates your pension quarters. The mixed plan, CFE as a base with a top-up on top, often combines both advantages.

With most private first-euro insurers, subscription closes between 65 and 75 depending on the company, sometimes up to and including age 74, and both the benefits and the rates tighten noticeably after 55. The CFE, by contrast, accepts membership at any age, with no limit and no medical questionnaire. That is why the mixed plan, the CFE as a base, with a private top-up on top, often becomes the most realistic solution for a couple over 55, or as soon as a chronic condition complicates access to standard private cover.

Yes, with almost all private insurers: generally count on 10 to 12 months between subscribing and cover for a delivery, pregnancy included. The CFE is an exception for the care itself, but still applies a 10-month waiting period before paying maternity leave daily allowances. In both cases, the rule is the same: subscribe before you plan a pregnancy, not after the test comes back positive. This is a point we systematically check before recommending a plan to a family planning to move abroad.

There is no single rate: the host country, age and scope of cover (hospitalisation only or full cover, maternity, dental) can make the contribution vary from one to three times over between destinations. These are only ballpark figures, not firm rates: the comparator narrows down a personalised range in a few questions, with no obligation, and Mustapha then turns that range into an exact quote within 24 hours, once the health questionnaire has been completed.