Supplementary Health Insurance Luxembourg: Do you really need it?
The Grand Duchy offers good health coverage. However, to be better reimbursed for the costs that remain your responsibility, you can take out a supplementary health insurance, and gain peace of mind.
When Benoît, 32, moved to Luxembourg to work in computer science, his employer automatically enrolled him in the Centre Commun de la Sécurité Sociale luxembourgeoise (CCSS - Luxembourg Joint Social Security Centre).
"At human resources, it was explained to me that they had eight days to do what they had to with Luxembourg Social Security. A few weeks later, I received a card with my 13-digit number. I present this card every time I visit the doctor ".
Benoît is a member of the Caisse Nationale de Santé (CNS - National Health Fund) because he works in the private sector. But there is also a health insurance reserved for civil servants and public sector employees, the CMFEP.
Unlike in France, "There's no need to choose a doctor in Luxembourg" Benoît explains. He can go to any doctor he chooses, whether a general practitioner or a specialist.
The cost is fairly high, at €57.70 (as at 1 September 2023) for a consultation with a GP. ‘All you have to do is send your claims for reimbursement by post to the CNS,’ adds Benoît. The claim must include the original ‘memoires d'honoraires’, i.e. invoices for medical expenses, proof of payment and the patient's registration number. Expenses are reimbursed fairly quickly. The cost of a consultation is indexed in the same way as income and salaries.
Health insurance reimbursement rates
Medical expenses are reimbursed at the rate of 88% for adults and 100% for children for the bills from GPs or specialists, dental care or hospitalisation, within the framework of the tariffs agreed.
Reimbursement for drugs varies between 40% and 100% according to a CNS classification, which deals with criteria of effectiveness and importance for health.
To find out the details of the rates for each type of treatment that the health practitioner is entitled to apply, go to the CNS's "insured person” page.
The benefits of supplementary health insurance in Luxemburg
Certain benefits such as dental care, consultations or treatment at hospital are frequently overcharged by doctors.
During hospitalisation, the patient must take on variable contributions from one institution to another, especially if it is a private institution.
In the case of childbirth for example, hospitalisation costs quickly reach €1500 to €2000 when mothers-to-be choose a so-called "first class" stay, i.e. in a single room.
That's why Anaïs, 35, chose to sign up for supplementary health insurance a year before giving birth. «It’s worth it because it supports additional costs such as fee surcharges or the single room. I was reimbursed practically to the last cent", she says.
Wearers of spectacles also benefit from the advantages of supplementary health insurance. Reimbursements from the CNS are capped at €49 for lenses and €30 for frames. This can cause unpleasant surprises when the final price of a pair of glasses is often several hundred euros.
Additional services offered by supplementary health insurances:
The supplementary health insurance offered by insurance companies effectively supplement reimbursements from the CNS, but not only this.
They also offer additional services that are very useful when you have to go through a period of hospitalisation: childcare, school support, home help, pet care, etc.
