Medicines, consultations, medical procedures: why you will pay more from this Sunday, February 18

Les assurés sociaux vont payer un peu plus sur leur consommation de soins (photo d'illustration). Patrick Lefevre – MAXPPP

Price changes in the health sector come into effect this Sunday, February 18, 2024 and then on March 31. Socially insured people will pay a little more on their healthcare consumption.

According to a decree published this Saturday, February 17, 2024 in the Official Journal, the "flat rate participation" on consultations and acts medical, with the exception of those carried out during hospitalization, as well as medical biology examinations and analyses, is doubled, to the amount of 2 euros.

This measure comes into force from this Sunday, February 18, 2024, recalls in particular the Huffington Post.

Medicine boxes, medical transport

The decree on the doubling of the medical franchise, – namely the sum remaining payable by the patient – from 50 cents to 1 euro on each box of medicines, will enter into him in force on March 31, 2024.

The excess on medical transport will also be doubled to 4 euros, again from March 31.

"Saving money"

According to government estimates communicated in the fall, the measure should enable Social Security funds to make 800 million euros in savings .

"Double punishment"

The executive also recalls that deductibles and lump sum reimbursements are not applicable “to minors, to women who benefit from the& #39;maternity insurance" and "to beneficiaries of complementary solidarity health insurance", with particularly modest incomes.

Patient associations strongly criticized these increases. Gérard Raymond, president of France Asso Santé, denounced on Franceinfo a "double penalty: being sick and pay twice as much". He even described this measure as "cut of the penknife".