Part 3 · Living well with IBD · 15/22
What exists in France to make life with IBD easier, and who to turn to.
In France, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are on the list of ALD (affections de longue durée, long-term conditions). Your GP makes the application: care related to your IBD is then covered at 100% of the Sécurité sociale (French national health insurance) rate (excluding extra fees charged above that rate and the fixed patient deductibles known as franchises).
The RQTH (recognition as a disabled worker), applied for through the MDPH (the local disability office), gives you the right to adjustments: working hours, working from home, a desk near the toilets. Nobody is obliged to show it to their employer.
Since 2022, there is no health questionnaire for a home loan of less than €200,000 per person, repaid before age 60. Above that, the AERAS agreement helps you get insurance.
The PAI (projet d'accueil individualisé, an individual care plan), signed with the school, allows a child, for example, to go to the toilet without asking or to take a treatment.
At the hospital or the town hall: they help with sick leave, therapeutic part-time work, an invalidity pension or the AAH (allowance for disabled adults), depending on your situation.
The French national association for people with IBD, officially recognised as being of public benefit. It supports patients and their loved ones:
afa.asso.fr
Don't hesitate to ask for an opinion at an IBD expert centre in a CHU (French university hospital), especially if:
Your gastro or your GP can refer you. Asking for a second opinion is your right.