No one will be able to escape this increase.
Now is not the time to save money, far from it. In a context where the State is seeking to lower its costs, households will have to contribute to replenishing public coffers. If the promise that income tax would not increase has been kept, other levers, more discreet but costly, are about to be activated. The impact on the French budget will not be negligible.
In terms of costs, the government does not seem to hesitate to cut the social aspect and, more particularly, that of health. Today, many medical procedures are free or inexpensive because social security pays part of it and mutual insurance reimburses another part. The difference is that everyone benefits from “Secu” for free, while you have to pay to be entitled to mutual insurance. But who says free, says what about revenue? Taxes are not enough to finance “Secu” and the organization’s debt is abysmal.
Thus, the government plans to reduce certain reimbursements made by “Secu”, in particular consultations with the general practitioner, which will go from 26.50 euros to 30 euros in December. It would be up to the mutual insurance companies to reimburse a larger portion, just like during an appointment with a specialist. And this, from 2025. This transfer could cost an additional 1.2 billion euros for mutuals, according to Mutualité Française, a union of mutualists.
However, this additional burden will not be borne in full by mutual insurance companies. It should be reflected in the price of mutual insurance for policyholders. According to Actelior, the increase will be around 10%: 8.8% for individual contracts, 9.2% for company contracts. “At the beginning of September, we estimated an increase in overall health spending of 5.8% for individual contracts and 6.2% for collective contracts. When we evaluate the cost of the increase in care among doctors , this represents 3% more”, explains David Echevin, general director of the insurance consulting firm.
As for the VYV group (which notably concentrates Harmonie Mutuelle and MGEN), we are counting on an increase of 6 to 10%. Which is explained by “a cumulative effect. There is this transfer of burden, the increase in the price of the consultation and an increase in the consumption of medicines”, lists André-Charles Puech – Deputy Director of Insurance and Social Protection of the group.
In 2024, the average price of mutual insurance was 1000 to 1500 euros according to our interlocutors. In a few weeks, the increase should therefore be around a hundred euros per year for policyholders. This is only an average since between students, private sector employees, civil servants and even retirees, significant differences in price and support exist. The fact remains that the increase will affect everyone if the government’s project is adopted.