The company medical program: collective and mandatory

In France, the company medical program is a complementary social protection plan offered by the employer to its employees. It complements the Social Security reimbursements for medical expenses, such as medical consultations, medicines, hospitalizations, dental care, etc.

The company medical program has been mandatory since January 1, 2016 for all companies, regardless of their workforce. The employer must offer a collective insurance contract to all his employees,

However, employees may refuse to join if they can prove that they are exempted by law or agreement; for example, if they already have individual medical coverage or if they benefit from their spouse’s mandatory collective medical plan.

The contributions to the company medical plan are financed in equal parts by the employer and the employee, unless the employer decides to pay a larger part or all of the contributions. Employees can also benefit from differentiated rates depending on their family situation.

In case of termination of the work contract, and under certain conditions, employees can keep their company medical program for a limited time using the “portability ” system. This measure allows the former employee to benefit free of charge from the same coverage as when he or she was in employment.