The government assured on Friday that "adjustments" were being made to the reform of full reimbursement for wheelchairs after representatives of health providers and equipment distributors complained that it was "at a standstill on the ground".
These private companies say they are observing "serious difficulties" in the implementation of this reform, which came into effect on December 1, 2025, and which provides for the reimbursement of wheelchairs and their options to 100%.
More than 60% requests for prior agreement for wheelchair reimbursement addressed to Health Insurance are rejected, then 40% of the files are subject to a refusal of payment, the three employers' and professional organizations say in a joint statement.
They call for the "immediate removal" of "administrative, financial and operational obstacles" to this reform.
"All warning signs are being taken seriously, the goal is to fully implement" this reform, the office of the Minister Delegate for Disability, Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq, told AFP.
"We are in a phase of ramping up the reform, adjustments will be made over time" to resolve the "sticking points," he added.
The ministry, however, disputes the figures mentioned by the unions: it maintains that approximately 75% requests for prior agreement are accepted.
The National Health Insurance Fund told AFP that 3,471 prior agreement requests (DAP) were processed, of which 70% received a favorable opinion, between the beginning of December and February 13, stating that there is no delay in the processing of files.
"Incomplete files" and "unjustified early renewals" are among the recurring reasons for refusal, notes the Cnam.
Applications are rejected due to options "not prescribed or already included" in the chairs, "undetailed quotes", "medically unjustified requests", "absence of a prescription" by a healthcare professional and "non-compliance with the maximum sales price", among other reasons, the Cnam specifies.
The refusals are justified by the Cnam and the provider can send back a file with the requested justifications.
She points out that a large proportion of the reimbursed wheelchairs do not require prior approval.
Thus, according to the latest figures from the ministry, 19,000 people were able to acquire a wheelchair fully reimbursed by Health Insurance between December 2025 and the end of January 2026.
During this period, including rental, 90,000 patients benefited from the provision of a vehicle for disabled people, specifies the Cnam.
More than one million people in France use this type of equipment, the majority of whom are seniors and disabled people.
The price of a manual wheelchair can reach up to 10,000 euros, while that of an electric wheelchair can reach several tens of thousands of euros.
The 100% reimbursement, promised by President Emmanuel Macron in April 2023, provides for the reimbursement of all wheelchairs, manual or electric, without upfront costs and without any remaining balance.
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