Health. Seniors: How to change your health insurance?

According to the Meilleur Taux website, the average cost of senior mutual insurance was €127.99 per month in 2024, an increase of 7% compared to 2023.

The increase observed since 2020 is even 16%. This is mainly due to the implementation of 100% Health Insurance aimed at reducing the remaining costs.

For seniors as for everyone else, the so-called infra-annual termination law allows, since December ^1, 2020, to change mutual insurance at any time after one year of commitment, without fees or penalties.

Retirement is often synonymous with a loss of income, but also of several benefits such as group health insurance paid in part by the company.

This raises the question of the best coverage for your health situation. Generally, seniors are advised to opt for a policy that fully reimburses hospitalization costs, optical equipment, dentures, and hearing aids.

Assistance services are also interesting because they allow you to get help on a daily basis in the event of immobilization (at home or in hospital).

This will also include refractive eye surgery (cataracts), pedicures, alternative medicine, access to free medical teleconsultations and healthcare networks.

The right to portability, however, ensures that retirees can keep their company health insurance. This may prove relevant since their health situation will have barely changed overnight.

To do this, you must submit a request to the insurance company no later than six months after your departure. The contract may then offer the same guarantees or be adapted.

However, since the employer no longer pays their share, the insured must contribute alone. Fortunately, the contract increase is regulated. Thus, the first year you pay the same rate as an active employee (without the employer's contribution).

In the second year, the rate increases by 25% and then by 50% in the third year. It is freely set thereafter.

Given that the average cost of company health insurance is €105 per month, it may be worthwhile to keep this insurance for two years. After that, it may be best to switch.

There's no age limit for switching health insurance companies. What's more, most now offer so-called "responsible and supportive" policies that prohibit you from completing a health questionnaire beforehand.

It's therefore entirely possible to change your policy while experiencing health problems. However, not all of them offer a policy for those over 75 or 80, which is why it's important to plan ahead.

Especially since you'll also need to factor in the waiting period, the period during which your coverage isn't yet active. And of course, be sure to compare offers.