The government is clarifying its health roadmap. Saturday evening, Minister Gabriel Attal detailed in the regional press the promises made during his general policy declaration at the end of January. These announcements come at a time when the government is widely criticized for its health policy. They immediately caused renewed tension.
The main union of general practitioners. MG France criticized measures that were “most often illusory, often demagogic and sometimes dangerous”. Like the unions of liberal specialist doctors, it has decided to suspend its participation in the crucial negotiations underway with Health Insurance, while private clinics have scheduled a strike in June. Some announcements “are mind-blowing, we are very angry”, also criticized Franck Devulder, president of the CSMF union.
Development of direct access to care, “rabbit” tax, guards, MonSoutienPsy… Overview of Gabriel Attal’s announcements.
· Facilitate access to care without going to the doctor
“My goal is clear […] reconquer 15 to 20 million appointments with the general practitioner this year, this summer,” declares Gabriel Attal. For this, the Prime Minister is counting on measures already adopted such as allowing pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics for tonsillitis or urinary infections.
The experiment with direct access to self-employed physiotherapists, eagerly awaited by their unions, will also start in June in 13 departments. It was opened a year ago by law, but only in health home type structures.
· 5 euros penalty in case of “rabbit” to your doctor
When he was budget minister, Gabriel Attal was already talking about penalizing patients who skip their appointment with their doctor. On Saturday, the Prime Minister clarified the contours of what is nicknamed the “rabbit tax” and which he promises will come into force quickly. “Starting this year, we will put in place an accountability mechanism with a deduction of 5 euros which will go directly to the doctor if his patient does not show up or warns less than 24 hours in advance,” announced the Prime Minister.
The decision to apply it or not will be left to the hand of the doctor, explains Matignon, who speaks of an entry into force on 1er next January. Payment of the 5 euros can be made via the reservation platforms. “The doctor will be able to set up the bank imprint system himself,” says those around the Prime Minister who estimate “between 20 and 30 million consultations […] lost every year.
· Calls for nurses, dentists and midwives
The Prime Minister promises an “emergency plan” for the “some 4 million French people who live without any on-call doctor solution in their territory”, a plan which will be based on “financial aid and the responsibility of doctors”. The executive promises to expand the city on-call system “this fall” to nurses, dentists and midwives; a proposal defended by the majority during the 2024 budget.
To alleviate the emergency crisis of summer 2022, the executive had already planned that the Samu could ask nurses to come to homes in an emergency. “We are interested but not under any conditions, it must be done on a voluntary basis, within the conventional framework and possibly accompanied by training,” reacts John Pinte, of the Sniil nurses union.
· Train more doctors
After deleting the numerus clausus during the first five-year term, the government promised to train more doctors each year. The number of second-year medical students would increase from 10,800 in 2023 to 12,000 in 2025 and 16,000 in 2027.
The executive also indicates that 2,700 new foreign doctors trained outside the European Union have passed the exam allowing them to work in full-time positions at the hospital this year, half of them new arrivals.
· Improved “psychiatrist” reimbursement
In his general policy speech, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal promised to review “from top to bottom” MonSoutienPsy, the system put in place in 2021 to allow French people to be reimbursed for the cost of their consultations with the psychologist. A device which did not meet with the expected success.
The price of the session will be significantly increased, going from 30 euros to 50 euros. This represents a cost of 10 million euros based on the current volume of consultations. But their number should increase, especially since access will be direct: no need to go through a doctor to benefit from the device. The treatment ceiling will also be raised from 8 to 12 sessions. The financing of the remaining 30% to be paid by the supplementaries will be integrated “in the responsible contracts”, we specify to Matignon.