Medical consultation: the remaining cost will increase from 1 to 2 euros from May 15

It could have been three euros. But it will ultimately only be two euros. The flat-rate participation, that is to say the patient’s contribution which is not subject to reimbursement from Health Insurance or complementary health insurance, will double from May 15 to go from 1 to 2 euros. Thus decided, according to our information, the council of the Union of Health Insurance Funds (Uncam) on March 21 with 11 favorable votes among its 18 members.

The decree published on February 16 in fact left the organization the possibility of setting this “remaining charge”, until now at one euro, within a range of two and three euros. Over a full year, the measure should save more than 400 million euros.

From May 15, you will therefore have to pay two euros for each consultation or procedure carried out by a doctor (general practitioner or specialist), radiological examination or biological analyses. This concerns all adult patients except pregnant women from the 6th month of pregnancy (and until the 12th day following childbirth) and beneficiaries of Supplementary Solidarity Health (C2S) or state medical aid ( SOUL).

An annual ceiling which remains at 50 euros per person

Concretely, for a consultation with your general practitioner at 26.50 euros, the consultation is in theory reimbursed at 70% or 18.55 euros. With the flat rate contribution of 2 euros, the amount actually reimbursed by Health Insurance will therefore only be 16.55 euros. In the event of a third party payment, the amount of the fixed contribution will be recovered on a subsequent reimbursement.

In all cases, this contribution does 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 an intervention surgical. The fixed contribution remains limited to 4 euros per day and per health professional. Above all, the amount will always be capped at 50 euros per year and per person. But it will be reached more quickly and by a greater number of patients.

Health Insurance should save 800 million euros

This increase in fixed contributions is added to the doubling of medical deductibles on medicine boxes, paramedical acts and medical transport which entered into force on March 31. From now on, each patient must pay 1 euro out of their own pocket per box of medicine and per paramedical procedure (compared to 0.50 euros until now) and 4 euros per medical transport (compared to 2 euros). The daily medical franchise limit has also doubled, to 4 euros per day for paramedical procedures and 8 euros per day for medical transport (there is no daily limit for medicines). And a specific ceiling of 50 euros per year also applies.

In total, this doubling of fixed contributions and medical deductibles should enable Health Insurance to save 800 million euros. Last fall, when these two measures were put on the table, former Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau had estimated that these two measures would generate on average an additional cost of 17 euros per year per patient.