Not an insurance company

The CMCM, created in 1956, is a non-profit association, operating on a non-commercial basis. “Apart from paying salaries and taxes, our main aim is to reinvest as much as members pay in,” Secci explains. No medical examination is required to become a member, and there aren’t any age restrictions for joining. One membership covers an entire immediate family (the largest the CMCM has had to date covered 11 people in total). The CMCM does not cover death and focuses solely on health coverage.

Three coverage levels

The CMCM offers three levels of supplementary coverage, each one a prerequisite for the next, all of which include 24/7 assistance abroad, including worldwide repatriation and travel cancellation. The most basic is the “Régime Commun”, which includes benefits for hospitalisation, pre- and post-operative physiotherapy, including certain aspects like home care. A premium option, “Prestaplus”, includes reimbursement of first-class hospitalisation and ambulance transportation costs, plus osteopathy/chiropractic treatments, as well as certain preventative medical treatment. “Denta & Optiplus”, as the name implies, covers a range of dental and optical services, from dental crowns and implants to refractive eye surgery.

Changing trends

Over the decade Secci has served as CEO, he says the average age of subscribers has dropped from around 60 to the early 50s. He acknowledges that younger people might not have the reflex to join, when hard-earned euros need to provide for a range of other expenses, but the CMCM has been actively campaigning to encourage them to join, even offering a 10% discount to unmarried individuals under 30.

Locking it in

While annual membership rates vary depending on age, starting at just under €285.92, they’re locked in for a lifetime (with increases only linked to indexation)--yet another reason to consider joining early.

Ensuring the “mutual” aspect

For new joiners, there’s a three-month grace period to get benefits. Secci says it’s not unheard of for people to join, take advantage of benefits for a year or two, and then opt out, although it’s not recommended. For those who later want to rejoin, however, there’s a more severe grace period, serving as a sort of disincentive to that short-term strategy.

A real investment

As Secci notes, mutual health coverage can be seen as an investment due to its comprehensiveness and affordability. “It covers you most when you need it most,” he adds. “If you are severely ill, or something like an accident happens to you, even abroad, your life changes anyway… whatever illness you might get, a mutual will never kick you out.”

This article was written for the  to the  magazine, published on 26 February. The content of the magazine is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the website as a contribution to the complete Paperjam archive. .

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