Overview
- Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirmed late Thursday that the government will not double the annual ceiling on medical franchises from €100 to €200 and will instead pursue a smaller rise linked to indexing the cap to inflation since 2005.
- Medical franchises and participations forfaitaires are fixed out-of-pocket charges applied per consultation, drug box, exam or transport that are not reimbursed by Assurance maladie or complementary insurers and are capped each year by the ceiling.
- A February DREES study warned that raising the ceiling would hit older and chronically ill households harder than raising per-service amounts, a finding patient groups used to criticize the original doubling proposal.
- Patient federations, including France Assos Santé, called the doubling an “error monumental” and said it would increase financial strain and stigma for people with multiple or long-term conditions.
- Next steps will center on designing the inflation-indexation mechanism and setting the size of the increase, with debates likely to focus on precise indexing rules, projected household costs, and safeguards for the most vulnerable.