As your family grows, your healthcare reimbursement needs change. They then require specific support from mutual and complementary health insurance. This is why it is crucial to choose to take out a mutual health insurance adapted to your needs. In this article, we explain how family health insurance works so that you can make the best choice.
Why subscribe to a family mutual?
It is recommended to subscribe to a complementary health insurance because it allows you to access better reimbursements for your medical expenses. In addition, it is quite possible to extend your coverage to members of your family, with a family mutual insurance contract.
Here are the many advantages of family health insurance:
- Complete protection for your whole family: in addition to your needs, the mutual will take care of the needs, sometimes specific, of your children. This can be pediatrics, orthodontics or even eyeglasses. The mutual adapts to each member, for optimal coverage;
- Advantageous rates: by subscribing to a family mutual insurance contract, your spouse is able to benefit from a reduction. This can go up to – 15%. In addition to this, financial benefits, such as a pregnancy bonus, may be offered to you;
- Administrative relief: Instead of taking out a different health insurance policy for each member of your family, why not centralize all your needs within a single policy? Fewer intermediaries, fewer procedures and therefore much more practical!
Do not hesitate to contact a broker in insurance to compare the different family health insurance offers and how they work. This way, you will be sure to make the right choice.
Who can benefit from family insurance?
As you will have understood, this type of mutual does not only cover the subscriber but also his beneficiaries. Health insurance distinguishes between several types:
- Your spouse, partner or partner bound by a PACS;
- Your ascendants, descendants and collaterals in the 3rd degree (under certain conditions);
- Your dependent cohabitant.
As far as your children are concerned, they can benefit from the status of beneficiary up to a certain age:
- 16 years in the case of natural children, recognized or not, adoptive, collected, pupils of the nation;
- 20 years if they decide to continue their studies or if they are unable to work due to a disability or chronic illness;
- 21 years old, until the end of the current school year in the event that they have interrupted their studies due to illness.
As a private sector employee, your company is obliged to offer you collective mutual insurance. This must authorize the addition of rights holders and you can therefore benefit your family. In exchange for the membership of your relatives, however, you will have to pay a higher contribution and this amount will generally not be borne by your employer.
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What guarantees for family health insurance?
When you take out mutual health insurance for your family, the guarantees deemed essential are not the same as in the context of individual complementary insurance. We thus find:
- Orthodontics;
- The establishment of a maternity package;
- The management of alternative medicine (osteopathy, nutrition, etc.);
- Psychological consultations.
Depending on the special needs of your family, additional guarantees can be added, such as:
- Legal protection;
- Spa treatments;
- Female/male contraception;
- home helpers;
- Medical transport;
- Child care.
It is also important to take into account that your needs change over time, depending on your age and your situation. Your frequent visits to the pediatrician will turn into the cost of braces or glasses. This is an important detail that you must take into account when choosing your mutual.
What price for family mutual insurance?
Contrary to what one might think, family mutual insurance contracts often have attractive prices. Indeed, it is not uncommon for your spouse to benefit from a reduction of 5 to 10% if he joins your mutual insurance company. In addition, contracts tend to cover your third child for free and the average amount of pregnancy premiums is €200.
Keep in mind, however, that the price of family mutual insurance fluctuates greatly depending on:
- Family composition, because some mutuals offer even lower rates for large families;
- The level of guarantees chosen;
- Your geographical location.
In order to make the most of the reduced costs of family mutuals, you can start by finding out about the preferential rates you can benefit from, this includes the reduction for your spouse and the pregnancy bonus that we mentioned earlier. Also be sure to choose a mutual company offering third-party payment. In this way you will not have to advance any costs because your reimbursements are immediate.
The last tips for choosing your family mutual?
In the end, what matters most is to assess your health needs and those of your family, define your budget and, accordingly, choose the most suitable health guarantees.
After this first step, be careful to avoid pitfalls such as waiting periods, reimbursement ceilings and exclusions of guarantees when subscribing to your mutual insurance contract.
This is why it is essential to compare the different offers that exist. This is undoubtedly the solution that will allow you to find the best contract.
