Hospitals
The mutuelle (top-up health insurance): how to choose, and the CSS
What a mutuelle does, group contract or individual contract, how to compare, and the Complémentaire santé solidaire.
Edited by EMA
Checked on: · Source : ameli.fr, complementaire-sante-solidaire.gouv.fr
The mutuelle (top-up health insurance)
In everyday language, “mutuelle” means top-up health insurance: it complements the Assurance Maladie reimbursements. Gaps are common for glasses, dental care or a single room in hospital.
- Who offers them: mutuelles, insurance companies, provident institutions.
- Employees: in principle, a company group contract, to which the employer in principle contributes at least half. Ask human resources.
- Individual contract: compare optical, dental, hospitalisation and extra-fee coverage according to your needs.
- “Contrat responsable”: a contract that follows rules set by the State; ask for it explicitly for an individual contract.
- Low income: the Complémentaire santé solidaire (CSS) is free or costs less than €1 a day per person depending on resources (ameli).
- Third-party payment (tiers payant): with the carte Vitale and the mutuelle card, you can sometimes avoid advancing all the costs; it depends on the contract and the professional.
Sources and checks
Checked on 17 October 2026 (page split on 4 November 2026). Summarised by JAPANITIES from ameli.fr and complementaire-sante-solidaire.gouv.fr. Reimbursement rates, prices and conditions change: check the official pages before any procedure. This guide gives no medical advice.