Groupe VYV

The VYV Group was created in 2017 as a result of the merger of several mutual insurers and organizations in the social and solidarity economy. It defends the right to health for all and operates in three areas: insurance and pensions, healthcare and support, and housing. With 10,000 elected representatives and 48,000 employees committed to its democratic, non-profit and partnership-based model, the VVV Group is a major player in the social and solidarity economy.

With its network of agencies and 1,800 healthcare and support facilities spread across every region in France, the VYV Group protects 10.6 million French people, cares for and supports 6 million people, and houses 400,000 individuals, confirming its position as a leading player in healthcare and social protection.

The origins and founding principles of mutualism

1/ The first mutual aid society was created in 1780 in Paris: the Bourse Saint-Laurent. Organised by and for workers, it was a precursor to today’s mutual insurers.

2/ In the 19th century, the first mutual insurers were groups of tradespeople (craftsmen, teachers, railway workers, etc.) who organised themselves within a given geographical area, at a time when the welfare state did not exist.

3/ Through voluntary contributions, each subscriber protected all the others against life’s uncertainties; a non-profit model based on the risk pooling and solidarity.

4/ From the outset, mutual insurers promoted cooperation, mutual aid and democratic governance. The collective interest takes precedence over individual interests.

5/ ‘One person, one vote’: equality between subscribers lays at the heart of the mutualist system. Each individual participates in governance by electing representatives from among the subscribers.

6/ No selection based on risk: mutual insurers welcome all profiles regardless of age, income or health status.

A social construction included in the scope of the social and solidarity economy

7/ In 1898, the Mutual Insurance Charter (Charte de la mutualité) laid the legal foundations for national recognition and assigned mutual insurers a role in the public interest. This was a decisive turning point that confirmed their autonomy and encouraged their structuring at departmental and national level.

8/ Established in 1902, the National Federation of French Mutual Insurers (FNMF) became the unified voice of French mutual insurers, facilitating their organisation at national level.

9/ In 1981, the social economy obtained institutional recognition for the first time. Mutual insurers constituted one of its major categories, as subsequently confirmed by the 2014 French law on the social and solidarity economy. Indeed, mutual insurers embody the key values of the social and solidarity economy: solidarity, democracy and the public interest.

10/ The actions of mutual insurers serve a social purpose: to provide access to healthcare, prevention and support, without seeking to make a profit. Any surplus from their activities is reinvested in full for the benefit of their subscribers.

11/ Mutual insurers have built the largest non-profit health and social network in France, with nearly 3,000 facilities (nurseries, health centres, nursing homes, clinics, optical and hearing centres, etc.).

Created to meet needs not covered by traditional public or private healthcare provision, these establishments offer high-quality care, with no selection or upfront payment, based on the principle of full third-party payment.

Mutual insurers: spearheading social progress in terms of healthcare

12/ Mutual insurers inspired the universal social security model created in 1945 by the National Council of the Resistance.

13/ As major contributors to social progress, mutual insurers have often paved the way for new rights. They created a four-week paid maternity leave as early as 1892. In 1951, they introduced painless childbirth and in 1967 supported contraception even before the adoption of the Neuwirth Law, which lifted the ban on birth control methods.

14/ In 1975, they began reimbursing abortion costs, before such costs were covered by French social security. Through these commitments, mutual insurers have taken concrete action to promote women’s empowerment and health.

15/ Mutual insurers were a driving force in the adoption of the 2017 law on compulsory third-party payment, advocating for a fairer and more accessible reform meaning that patients no longer had to pay upfront for healthcare costs. This concrete reform has facilitated access to healthcare, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society.

Innovating for the social protection of tomorrow

16/ In the context of climate change and the need for a fair ecological transition, new forms of social protection will have to be designed and implemented through a more comprehensive approach, such as the ‘One Health’ concept combining human, animal and planetary health.

17/ In terms of human health, both physical and mental, new solutions are going to be necessary, particularly given the increase in chronic diseases, the resurgence of infectious diseases, and the problem of ageing in poor health. Mutual insurers are helping to address these issues by defending the right to healthcare for all and creating new rights. They are also developing environmental health approaches to tackle major determinants of health directly at their roots.

18/ Mutual insurers are also taking steps to encourage participation and restore the central role of citizen expression when it comes to health, access to care, prevention and intergenerational solidarity. These collective discussions provide an opportunity to address major social issues such as the right to a dignified end of life, support for independence, and changes to the social security system. The goal: to build a fairer, more universal model better suited to the challenges of tomorrow.

19/ Internationally, the mutualism movement has inspired other social protection models: in Belgium, mutual insurers manage the compulsory health insurance system for millions of citizens. In Quebec, Latin America and West Africa, mutual insurers operate on the principle of access to healthcare for all, on a variety of systems.