Consumer credit: what is the purpose of the Aeras Convention?

Verified 17 October 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

The Aeras Convention (Insure and Borrow with an Aggravated Health Risk) is a tripartite agreement between public authorities, banks and insurance companies and consumer associations. The agreement aims to facilitating access to credit insurance to persons who have or have had a serious health problem.

You may be affected by the convention Aeras if you have aggravated risk for a credit insurance, because of your medical condition or disability.

For insurers, you present a aggravated health risk if you are ill or have been ill and have a higher risk of disability or death than the average population.

The calculation of this probability shall take particular account of of your medical history and your handicap.

The calculation does not take the increased risk associated with your age, the nature of your occupation and to your behavior in everyday life (playing a risky sport, ...).

If you have aggravated riskHowever, insurers may be reluctant to insure you for a loan.

The convention Aeras is intended to help you find credit insurance.

The Aeras agreement can help you avoid having your consumer credit insurance claim rejected by all companies.

Depending on your situation, you can obtain consumer credit insurance through the agreement without a medical questionnaire or with a medical questionnaire.

You can even get consumer credit insurance for cancer or hepatitis C (right to be forgotten).

Insurance without medical questionnaire

The agreement can allow you to obtain insurance for a consumer credit without completing a medical questionnaire, if the following 3 conditions are met:

  • The maximum amount of the loan or all of your loans does not exceed €17,000
  • The maximum term of the loan is 4 years
  • You are under 50 years of age on the day you submit your application

Please note

You must provide a self-declaration of non-accumulation of loans above the loan limit of €17,000.

Insurance with medical questionnaire

You must complete the medical questionnaire related to your insurance application if you are in at least one of the following situations:

  • The maximum amount of the loan or all of your loans does not exceed €17,000
  • Maximum loan term exceeds 4 years
  • You are more than 50 years old on the day of the application

Insurance after serious illness: right to be forgotten

The Aeras Convention establishes a right to be forgotten for a person who has been diagnosed with cancer or hepatitis C.

The right to be forgotten exempts you from declaring these diseases when applying for insurance if the following conditions are met:

  • The treatment regimen has been completed for at least 5 years
  • There was no relapse
  • The future insurance contract will end before you reach the age of 71

If you do not qualify for insurance without a medical questionnaire, the insurer may ask you to complete a medical questionnaire.

In this case, you have the right not to report cancer or hepatitis C, but if you have other diseases or other risk factors listed on the medical questionnaire, you must report them.

FYI  

The right to be forgotten does not cover the side effects of cancer or hepatitis C. You must report them on the health questionnaire.

Step 1: Submitting the insurance application

You must apply for consumer loan insurance with your lender or another insurer.

The procedure to follow depends on whether you meet the conditions to apply for insurance without a medical questionnaire or not.

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Insurance claim without medical questionnaire

If the insurer does not require you to complete a medical questionnaire, they will make you an insurance proposal.

Insurance application with medical questionnaire

If the insurer requires you to complete a medical questionnaire, they must provide you with a specific information document on the Aeras Convention.

All insurers apply the Convention Aeras.

However, not all insurers have the same approach to aggravated health risks. It depends on their experience with certain diseases and their trade policy.

You can get advice from the consumer associations or insurance brokers.

The rest of the file varies depending on whether the analysis of the health questionnaire reveals one or more health problems or not.

There are no health problems

If the analysis of the health questionnaire does not reveal a health problem, the insurer will make you a proposal for insurance.

There are one or more health problems

If the analysis of the health questionnaire reveals one or more health problems, the insurer will automatically submit the file for a more personalized examination.

Step 2: Review of your file by a specialized medical service

If your medical condition does not allow you to be insured at standard rates and conditions, your file is automatically examined by a specialized medical service, without you having to take any steps.

At the end of this study, either you get an agreement from the insurer, which is valid 4 months, or your file is sent for reconsideration.

Step 3: Re-examination

Your file is reviewed by a group of reinsurers, who check whether your situation can be covered by the agreement Aeras.

At the end of that review:

  • Either you get a deal. The insurer informs you and can offer you a rate including an insurance premium or warranty exclusions.
  • Either your request is denied. The insurer must inform you of the reasons for this refusal and provide you with the contact details of the mediation commission of the agreement Aeras to appeal.

If the terms of the Aeras convention have not been applied, you can enter the Aeras Convention Mediation Commission.

This committee is responsible for finding an amicable settlement and facilitating dialog between your doctor and the insurer's medical officer.

Who shall I contact

  • Aeras Convention Mediation Commission

    61 Taitbout Street

    75009 PARIS

The Mediation Commission shall not be competent to decide on the following points:

  • Limitations and Disclaimers
  • Level of the insurance premium or premium surcharge, as they are covered by the commercial policy of the insurer
  • Decision and conditions for granting credit, as they are the responsibility of the creditor
  • Credit terms, where already in place

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Health Info Rights

    A telephone line created by a collective of user associations to provide legal or social information related to health

    By telephone

    01 53 62 40 30

    Price of a local call

    Open Service:

    • mondays, wednesdays and fridays from 2pm to 6pm
    • tuesdays and thursdays from 2pm to 8pm

    By Form

    You can also ask your question by completing the contact form ;

    From this form, you can request to be called back.