Preparing your cure

A thermal cure is prepared several months in advance. Between the prescription, booking the cure and booking your accommodation, the order of the steps matters as much as the steps themselves. Here is the path, step by step.

If you are covered by the French health insurance system

A prescribed cure of 18 days of treatment can be reimbursed by the French health insurance (Assurance Maladie). The six steps below follow its procedure, in this order.

See your doctor. Your GP prescribes the cure on the Assurance Maladie form, stating the medical indication — rheumatology, respiratory conditions, or both — and the recommended spa town. Fill in every section yourself, especially the "income" section: it alone gives access to the travel and accommodation allowances. The form is then sent to your health insurance fund.
Wait for approval. Allow about a month. You can follow its progress on ameli.fr. If the cure is refused, any deposit already paid is refunded on proof.
Book your cure — before your accommodation. This is the most common mistake. Cure places are booked first: the earlier you book, the more choice of dates you have. The spa publishes a month-by-month attendance calendar to help you avoid the busiest periods.
Then book your accommodation, once your cure dates are confirmed. The area has several hundred furnished rentals, hotels, residences and campsites. Several establishments offer packages of 21 or 22 nights — the real length of an 18-day cure — and some run a private shuttle to the baths.
Choose your spa doctor and book before you arrive. You choose freely among the doctors of the spa town. They write your treatment prescription and follow you for the three weeks. Book this appointment before arriving, not on the spot.
Pack your bag. See below.

How reimbursement works

Medical fees. The three compulsory visits to the spa doctor are reimbursed at the usual Social Security rate.

The thermal package, which covers the treatments themselves: one cure per year and per person, reimbursed on the basis of the fixed rate. Comfort treatments taken outside the package are not reimbursed.

Accommodation and travel allowances, subject to income conditions. The return journey is covered on the basis of a second-class train ticket, even if you come by car. Keep all tickets, receipts and accommodation invoices: this part is sent to your fund after the cure. The income ceiling is revised every year; ask your fund for the current amount.

Without a prescription: short cures

Short cures last six consecutive days, with four to eight treatments a day in rheumatology or respiratory care. They need no prescription and are not covered by the French health insurance. They are a good way to discover thermal treatment, or for a companion who would like to take the waters too. Some programmes require a prior medical visit: ask when you book.

What to bring

Your documents: if you are covered by the French health insurance, your carte Vitale, parts 1 and 2 of your approval, the deposit receipt and your doctor's letter; in all cases, your recent X-rays and blood tests.
For the treatments: a swimming cap, a swimsuit, non-slip pool sandals, and your cure bag if you already have one.
No need to bring: bathrobes and towels are provided by the spa.

After the cure

A follow-up questionnaire is sent to you at the end of your stay, then after three, six and nine months. It takes about ten minutes, is anonymous and free, and covers your symptoms, pain, medication and quality of life. It is what measures the real effect of cures over time — take the time to answer it.