Affliation to health insurance is mandatory while working in France. It allows partial or total reimbursement of medical fees. There are various choices of insurance affiliation, the most basic one being la Sécurité Sociale by CPAM (Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie). You send the necessary documents to their office to get affiliated and receive your social security number. You can then use this number to ask for reimbursments. You can also apply to get a Carte Vitale, which allows the application of the medical fee exemption directly.
While working in France, you also have to choose a local doctor (médecin traitant) who will treat you in case of illness. A list of doctor offices in Grenoble will be provided to you once you sign your contract.
For more precise information regarding health insurance, you may contact Elodie Ferrara at the institute: elodie.ferrara(at)neel.cnrs.fr.