Welcome guide for incoming ULg staff and visiting researchers

30 6.1. MEDICAL FEES Medical insurance is mandatory for anyone working or studying in Belgium. In order for medical fees to be partially or fully reimbursed in Belgium, registration with a health insurance company is required. A private, non profit company is called a ‘Mutuelle’ or there is the public entity called CAAMI- Agency for Health & Disability Insurance. Your affiliation with a health insurance company is funded through direct contributions from your salary or your grant (social security contributions). If you are a doctoral student, you can register as a student. If you are a visiting researcher for a stay longer than 3 months, you will need to complete a few administrative formalities and possibly pay personal out-of- pocket contributions. If you are affiliated with a Mutuelle or health insurance company, you will also be required to take out additional coverage. This ensures reimbursement of medical services which are not covered by the statutory health care system (speech therapy, psychotheraphy, vision care, dentist, physiotheraphy, maternity fees, childcare expenses for sick children, etc). CAAMI does not offer this additional insurance and therefore does not reimburse these services. Finally, health insurance companies also offer optional coverage for those wanting greater coverage. This may include Hospital Insurance 13 which covers fees for a hospital stay (short and long term) or dental care. The offers and prices vary according to each company. Try to find out which insurance coverage best meets your needs. Contracts are typically set for a period of 12 months and it can be quite difficult to terminate a contract before its end date. A private website comparing the services offered by mutuelles https://www.guide-epargne.be/epargner/comparer-mutualites.html A few mutuelles Alliance Nationale des Mutualités Chrétiennes : https://www.mc.be/que-faire-en-cas- de/situation/welcome-to-belgium Union Nationale des Mutualités Libérales: www.ml.be/ Union Nationale des Mutualités Libres : www.mloz.be/ Union Nationale des Mutualités Neutres : www.mutualites-neutres.be Union Nationale des Mutualités Socialistes : http://www.solidaris.be Agency for health & disbility insurance (CAAMI) : www.caami-hziv.fgov.be/en Omnimut, Mutualité neutre de Wallonie : www.omnimut.be Partenamut, Mutualité Libre : www.partenamut.be Most of those websites are only in French. 13 See chapter 4.11 on Insurances, page 27