The National Assembly removes a measure aimed at limiting excess fees for doctors
The deputies removed a controversial measure from the draft Social Security budget, aimed at limiting overruns in doctors’ fees, which are growing sharply according to several reports. This article in the text puts liberal doctors in turmoil. Several unions announced a strike at the beginning of January against this measure. It would allow the government to increase by decree a contribution paid by doctors on their fee supplements (3.25% today).
The main representatives of liberal doctors denounce a “endangerment” of private medicine, particularly in sector 2 (agreement with Health Insurance, which allows these excesses), while certain prices for procedures reimbursed by Health Insurance have been blocked for years.
The general rapporteur of the text, Thibault Bazin (LR), criticized the measure, which aims “indiscriminately all doctors in sector 2, whatever the extent of the excesses, (…) whether or not they participate in ongoing care, whatever their specialty”. With this additional contribution, “Doctors are going to increase their excess prices” to compensate, mutual insurance will increase “the prices of their contracts”et, “in the end, it’s the users who will be penalized”added Jean-François Rousset (Renaissance).
The amendment removing the article from the draft budget was adopted with the votes of the deputies Renaissance, Horizons, LR, RN and their Ciottist allies, as well as the communists and independents LIOT. The PS, LFI and Les Ecologists voted against. The MoDem deputies were divided. For the socialist Jérôme Guedj, this is a “modest incentive to limit fee overruns” going “in the right direction”.
The Minister of Health, Stéphanie Rist, pointed out “the very increasing rise in overruns in recent years”who represented “4.5 billion euros in 2024”. “These excesses have therefore led the government to propose taxation of excesses. But I say, today, my intention is not to penalize this sector 2”she added, saying “hear the professionals”. She said she wanted to start discussions “in the coming weeks under the responsibility of the Health Insurance Fund, with doctors and patient associations” et “complementary organisms”.
