Which French Expat Health Insurance Will Take Over from the CFE?

📅 Published in 2016 — Updated in June 2026
🆕 The expatriate insurance market has exploded. New players, insurtech, adapted coverage.

🏥 Expatriate insurance comparison 2026

• CFE + complementary — €3,000-8,000/year | Retirement quarters ✅ | Direct payment ❌ | O-A visa: ⚠️ to check
• April International (MyHealth) — €1,500-4,000/year | Franchise 0-3,000€ | Direct payment ✅ | Visa O-A ✅
• Allianz Care — €2,000-5,000/year | Franchise 0-5,000€ | Direct payment ✅ | Visa O-A ✅
• Cigna Global — €3,000-7,000/year | Deductible $0-10,000 | Direct payment ✅ | Visa O-A ✅
• Foyer Global Health — €1,200-3,000/year | Franchise 0-5,000€ | Direct payment ✅ | Visa O-A ✅
• Henner — €2,000-5,000/year | Franchise 0-2,000€ | Direct payment ✅ | Visa O-A ✅
• Luma Health (Bangkok) — €800-2,500/year | Local insurer ✅ | Visa O-A ✅
• Pacific Cross (Bangkok) — €600-2,000/year | TGIA List ✅ | Visa O-A ✅

Indicative rates for 50-65 year olds in Asia. Vary depending on age, franchise and geographic area.

✅ Checklist before subscribing

1. 📋 Coverage ≥ 400,000 ฿ (IPD) + 40,000 ฿ (OPD) — O-A visa requirement
2. 📄 Foreign Insurance Certificate available (if foreign insurer)
3. 🏥 Bumrungrad, Bangkok Hospital, BNH in direct payment?
4. 💰 Deductible: the higher it is, the cheaper the premium (note: you pay everything below)
5. 🩺 Pre-existing illnesses: waiting period 12-24 months usual
6. ✈️ Repatriation included or optional? (actual cost: €30,000-80,000)
7. 🌍 “Asia” zone cheaper than “Worldwide” — take “World excluding USA” if no USA trips
8. 🏍️ Exclusions: extreme sports, motorcycle > 125cc, dental, optics often excluded
9. 🎂 Age limit for entry: some refuse those > 65-70 years old
10. 📝 Unilateral termination: can the insurer let you go at renewal?

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⬇️ Before it was like that…

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Find the mutual that fits perfectly with the CFE!

Difficult to find “French expatriate mutual insurance”. Firstly because your needs are not the same from one person to another and advising you on this is not a simple choice. So I’m going to take a general point of view. Let’s start with the third party payment option, it must be existing and take over from the CFE (read the article on the CFE). Then if I had to choose it, I would take it in stages. The guarantees must be offered by several options (Optical, dental, osteopathy, orthodontics, etc.), and finally if it is French it is even better to understand all the lines of the contract.

So here are the general criteria that will appeal to me as an insured. But in terms of mutual insurance, you can also use local insurance in the host country. Personally it is not my choice, and I am not keen to make you take this path because the CFE is already a good basis. But I’m not here to tell you what to do, but rather to help you decide. This mutual exists in France and is called: ASFE.

Health insurance for French people abroad is mutual insurance for French expatriates

ASFE, Association of Services for French Abroad, created in 1992, is an association governed by the 1901 law. It works in partnership with MSH international, the video of which you can see above. Their mission is to provide solutions to all expatriates around the world in terms of health, optical/dental, maternity, medical assistance/repatriation and pension coverage. Their offers are comprehensive and provide each policyholder with solutions adapted to the desired level of guarantee, their age, their family situation and their country of expatriation. According to a 2010 public survey, 91% of members are satisfied and would recommend ASFE to other expatriates.

For this mutual insurance company for French expatriates, there are 4 management centers around the world, including one in Paris and one in Asia where we speak to you in French. If you don’t like English then tell yourself that this service is worth gold. 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, whatever the country of expatriation, the ASFE teams ensure proximity by email and telephone for all your questions. I tested a call, and I admit that the responses are good and judicious. ASFE brings together 330,000 beneficiaries and 860,000 medical providers over 20 years of experience.

What is ASFE’s advantage?

Its advantage is its mutual “mode” to complement the CFE. It offers to do like your French mutual insurance company and supplement health expenses related to medical visits, hospitalization and other situations. In short, as you are going to change your life, you might as well make things easier by assuming that you are not going to have to change your repayment habits. The French system will therefore always be possible in your future country.

CFE + ASFE = 100% refunded.

Here is the link to see this mutual service: https://www.asfe-expat.com/index.php?a=fr&b=Nos-Solutions&c=Relais-Expat-Plus

Conclusion

There are certainly other solutions in the world, but I won’t talk about them on this site. I place myself here, like a French person who doesn’t want to change his reimbursement system too much. My opinion is simple: the more you can keep your habits, the more reassuring it is in your project. It’s up to you to take my solution or not, while wishing you a wonderful new life.

Some direct links by country profile on ASFE:

• India
• Thailand
• Cambodia
• Vietnam
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Japan
• Indonesia

ASFE contact details to reach them in France: +33 (0)1 44 20 48 77