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Mentioned for a while for next June, the doubling of the flat-rate medical contribution will finally come into force on May 15, according to Health Insurance. The government therefore decides to charge each patient 2 euros instead of one following a consultation.
The famous “one euro charge” after each medical consultation, introduced on 1er January 2005, will double. After the increase in the remainder of the charge for boxes of medicine from 50 cents to one euro – and to four euros per medical transport instead of two – since March 31, it is the turn of medical consultations to see their participation doubled flat rate.
Participation established almost 20 years ago
In January 2005, the flat-rate contribution was introduced, in order to contribute to the financing of the French public health system. It is deducted from each consultation or procedure carried out by a doctor (general practitioner or specialist), for each radiological examination or biological analyses, unless these fall within the framework of a complete hospitalization, which then results in an exemption from the first day.
Until today, it was fixed at one euro and its amount has not changed. It is also capped at 4 euros per day for procedures carried out by the same healthcare professional for the same beneficiary. From now on, according to Health Insurance, this amount will be doubled, increasing to two euros per procedure.
A desire to save money on Social Security
The increase in these deductibles risks having a serious impact on the wallets of the most precarious. This is why, at the same time, the government specifies that the capping of these levies remains the same, not being able to exceed four euros of out-of-pocket costs per day for medical procedures and eight euros for medical transport. Two annual ceilings, for deductibles and fixed contribution, are also maintained at a maximum of 50 euros per year.
Who are the people exempt from these levies?
Among the French population, deductibles and flat-rate reimbursements are not applied to minors, women on maternity leave and beneficiaries of complementary solidarity health insurance, with modest incomes.
Furthermore, these taxes do not apply to the dental surgeon, for care provided by a midwife or a medical assistant (nurse, masseur-physiotherapist, speech therapist, etc.) or even in the context of a surgical procedure.
For all other patients, the increase will take effect in mid-May, in order to save 800 million euros for Health Insurance, according to the Minister of Health.