The Barnier government wants to relieve the social security system by charging mutual insurance companies

© DENIS CHARLET/AFP/Archives

It's no secret that Michel Barnier's new government must limit the country's colossal debt, but also the alarming deficit in Social Security, which the Court of Auditors abhors. And to do this, a slightly controversial idea has emerged, with ministers proposing to transfer a larger share of health spending from health insurance to mutual insurance companies.

As reported by Les Echos, while the deficit is expected to exceed 17 billion euros this year, projections for next year are close to 25 billion, a figure comparable to those observed during the Covid crisis.

Currently, the “co-payment” – the portion of medical expenses not reimbursed by Health Insurance – stands at 30%, and could increase to 40% with these new measures. Theoretically, this would represent a potential gain of more than a billion euros for Social Security, if this increase applies to all medical consultations. The benefits would be all the greater since the consultation fee will increase from 26.50 to 30 euros.

These new provisions, which the government seems particularly motivated to have adopted, spare patients with chronic diseases, who will always benefit from better reimbursement from Health Insurance. 

That being said, this strategy raises concerns about the impact on the cost of supplementary health insurance, which is already expected to rise. Every year, there is a fight between the public authorities and insurers, who fear that this transfer of charges will result in a significant increase in their rates, which could weaken access to care for many French people. The idea, for the government, would therefore be to find a balance that preserves both the financial health of Social Security and the accessibility of care for all.

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