The Monaco healthcare system is commonly rated as one of the best in the world, but getting to grips with the ins and outs of how it works can be challenging. Below, we explain the essential principles.

Healthcare in Monaco is accessible through both the public and the private sector. First, let’s cover the basics of the public healthcare system. Please note that Monaco is not part of the European Union, meaning that EHIC cards and other EU-sponsored healthcare programs are not valid here.

Equal access to the Monaco healthcare system is granted to each citizen and long-term resident. Once someone is affiliated with Monaco’s social security, they are given a card that grants access to medical services.

Anyone who is employed in the Principality also contributes to the funding of the Monaco social security system, the Caisses Sociales de Monaco. This means a person does not need to be a resident but simply fulfil certain employment conditions to be eligible for Monaco healthcare coverage.

The Caisses Sociales de Monaco has three main healthcare regimes, which depend on employment status. Someone employed by someone else will be registered with the C.C.S.S (Health Insurance for Employees). Self-employed workers conducting a business in the Principality instead must join and make payments to the C.A.M.T.I. (Social Security Fund for the Self-Employed) to access healthcare. Students and civil servants (both in work and retired) receive their health benefits through the S.P.M.E (State Medical Benefits Office).

These health insurance policies all cover a maximum of 80% of a person’s medical fees, or 100% in the case of an exemption from the patient’s contribution to health care costs (the excess). Please note that the general practitioner (GP) must be listed by the Caisses Sociales de Monaco for medical and consultation fees to be reimbursed.

The public healthcare system in Monaco provides coverage for some hospitalisations, prescription medications, specialist treatment, pregnancy and childbirth, as well as rehabilitation.

healthcare in Monaco facilities

There are some services or some portions of the rates that aren’t covered by the state, such as elective cosmetic surgery or advanced dental care.

Private insurance and top-up insurance are often used to complement or cover the costs of healthcare in Monaco. Moreover, foreign nationals moving to the principality without employment are required to have full private health insurance.

The high quality of healthcare in Monaco

Healthcare in Monaco is internationally renowned for its premium services and standards. Some 8% of the State budget goes towards Monaco’s healthcare system and the Principality has the third-highest European proportion of doctors for its population, making it a haven for expert services and care.

Healthcare in Monaco has such a good reputation that almost 20% of patients are high-end medical tourists. This has led to the development of packages such as the VIP one-day check-up service at Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco’s top public hospital. This five-star package includes a gastronomy breakfast, a full medical examination, and clinical studies in a calm and private setting. The hospital room is replaced by a small en-suite apartment that allows patients to relax with a gorgeous view of the French Riviera. What’s more, the service is highly specialised and caters to each patient’s individual requests and needs.

The country’s specialisations include dermatology, gynaecology, paediatrics, cardiology, oncology, geriatrics, and sports-related medicine and therapy. The Le Rocher district boasts world-class centres for cardiac, thoracic and kidney illnesses.

Maternity care in Monaco

Monaco’s maternity care is known to be particularly exemplary. For the mother-to-be, many medical expenses are covered in full, including treatments planned in the maternity record,
treatments performed after the sixth month of pregnancy, along with maternity-related hospital stays up to a maximum of 12 days.

healthcare in Monaco maternity

The government also provides payment during maternity leave, providing a replacement income for pregnant employees who stop work for the pre and postnatal leave periods stipulated by legislation.

There are certain stipulations to accessing these benefits – for example, the mother-to-be must be salaried and must prove a loss of wages as a result of stopping work for maternity,
and thus effectively must stop this activity during the benefit payment period for at least eight weeks. However, for those that qualify, the amount of the daily maternity benefit is equivalent to 90% of the employee’s average gross daily salary over the twelve months prior to the start of prenatal leave.

Monaco’s advanced healthcare system

Monaco’s healthcare system policy is centred on monitoring, screening and prevention of illness, taking a proactive approach to medicine.

Recently, the government has been actively focusing on tackling the lower quality of life and unequal access to healthcare faced by those with disabilities, providing advanced services, special accommodation and more accessibility.

Monaco is also a pioneer in health-oriented digital technologies, resulting in more efficient services and strengthening links between patients and professionals. These technologies seek to empower patients by allowing them to have more control over their own health and ease the burden of administrative tasks. On the professional side, Artificial Intelligence enhances diagnosis and prognosis. This new way of providing healthcare services also promotes more inclusivity and supervision of the elderly and the disabled.

If Monaco’s healthcare system has encouraged you to move to the Principality, take a look at the range of long term rentals available in the city-state.

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All images courtesy relevance

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