2023-07-05 08:45:14
Health insurance, a vital necessity in our current society, but oh so complex. You have probably heard of mutual health insurance and supplementary health insurance, two concepts that sometimes seem to be interchangeable. However, they are not quite the same thing. You are probably wondering: “What is the difference between mutual insurance and supplementary health insurance? and “Which would be most beneficial for me and my situation?” Well, let’s take a closer look.
What is mutual health insurance?
Mutual health insurance, also called complementary health insurance, is insurance that supplements Social Security reimbursements. It intervenes after the latter has been taken over, to cover all or part of the remaining costs. Everyone needs good health insurance, right? After all, who wants to end up with astronomical medical bills just for a visit to the doctor?
Mutual insurance can cover various areas, from medical consultations and medicines, to dental, optical and hospitalization care. Some mutual insurance contracts even offer coverage for services that are not reimbursed at all by health insurance, such as osteopathy or certain vaccines. The levels of reimbursement and the cost of the mutual fund vary of course depending on the contract taken out.
That said, even with good mutual insurance, there may still be costs payable by you., this is called the remaining charge. Why that ? It’s simple, Social Security does not fully reimburse health costs and your health insurance may not cover all of the remaining costs. What do we do then? This is where health insurance comes in.
What about supplementary health insurance?
A supplementary health insurance, as its name suggests, is insurance that complements the coverage of your mutual insurance company. So she comes add to your health insurance and your mutual. Its main objective is to cover the remaining charge not reimbursed by the mutual insurance company. An undeniable asset, don’t you think?
This can be especially useful for people who have high or specific health costs, such as glasses wearers, people with dental problems or those who need specialist care not fully covered by their health insurance. That said, the cost of a complementary health supplement can be substantial, so it is important to carefully analyze your needs before embarking on it.
So, mutual or complementary health insurance?
Now that we have clarified the difference between mutual insurance and supplementary health insurance, the crucial question remains: which one to choose? Well, the answer is not that simple. In reality, these two types of insurance can be complementary.
It is necessary to have a mutual to cover the costs not reimbursed by the health insurance. On the other hand, the need for a complementary health supplement depends on your personal situation. Do you have specific or high health expenses not covered by your health insurance? Can you afford the extra cost of a health supplement?
Care particularly concerned by the rest to be paid
There are areas of care where the out-of-pocket cost can be particularly high, even with good health insurance. This is particularly the case for dental care, optics and hearing. Indeed, these health posts are often poorly reimbursed by health insurance and the participation of the mutual may not be enough to cover all the costs.
Take, for example, dental care. A crown can cost several hundred euros, and the health insurance only reimburses a small part of this sum. Even with mutual insurance, you may still have a large sum to pay. Similarly, a pair of eyeglasses or hearing aids can be expensive, and reimbursement from Social Security is often insufficient to cover all costs.
Other care, such as chiropractic, osteopathy, certain non-reimbursable medications, or even certain laboratory analyzes can also leave a substantial balance. The supplement may also be of interest to people with specific needs, such as those undergoing long-term treatment or those with health expenses related to a chronic illness. In that case, even top-of-the-line health insurance may not be enough to cover all expenses.
Take the time to take stock of your health expenses, carefully analyze the guarantees offered by your mutual insurance company and estimate the potential remainder. If the latter is high, a complementary health supplement could be a solution to consider. But remember, the important thing is to choose coverage that meets your needs and your budget, because health is priceless, but it does have a cost, and it is better to be well covered.
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