Medical deductibles, long-term illnesses, sick leave... The Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, Catherine Vautrin, details the cost-cutting measures to curb health spending next year in an interview with Le Monde published Saturday morning.
In mid-July, the Prime Minister called for healthcare spending to be curbed by "around" five billion euros next year, notably calling for an effort to make the French "accountable."
Ms. Vautrin points out that François Bayrou notably announced "the doubling of the ceiling on medical excesses" to 100 euros per year (i.e. the amounts not reimbursed to the patient, set at 1 euro per box of medication). Stressing that "we must stop with this idea that health insurance is 'free, I'm entitled to it'," she specifies that there will be a ceiling set "at a maximum of 8 euros per month," and reaffirms that these excesses will be paid "over the counter."
Regarding long-term illnesses (ALD), also cited by François Bayrou among the cost-cutting measures, Ms. Vautrin indicates that the first step will be to "facilitate the exit from this regime, when the doctor declares that you are fully cured of a stroke or cancer, for example."
She adds that the government intends to "question the maintenance of reimbursement at 100% for spa treatments and medications whose medical service is low for patients with ALD".
On another sensitive issue, which Mr. Bayrou believes is a "drift," that of sick leave, the minister explains that transferring the cost of sick leave, up to the 7th day, to the employer is an avenue "under consideration" and "must be the subject of discussions with the social partners."
"In this scenario, companies would have to take over this additional waiting period, from the fourth to the seventh day," she says.
Ms. Vautrin also indicated that the government intends to "put an end to abuses" and wishes to "limit any initial sick leave to 15 days in general practice," and to "one month upon discharge from hospital," the idea being to have "a more regular reassessment of situations."
In terms of prevention, the minister notes that "85% of nursing home residents are currently vaccinated against the flu," estimating that "at least ten additional vaccination rates" remain to be achieved. "To achieve this, I would like vaccination to become mandatory for elderly people in institutions," she says.
She also points to "medical nomadism", believing that recourse to a second opinion "is completely understandable after the diagnosis of a pathology", but that "this is not the case for a 3rd, 4th, 5th identical consultation with other practitioners (...) We must limit their care", she says.
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