LA SUNDAY TRIBUNE — A tax on supplementary health insurance, which would have raised 1 billion euros, was rejected by deputies. Are you afraid he will get back on the parliamentary plane?
ÉRIC CHENUT — Yes, there are fears that taxes will be an easy fix. In reality, this is not a tax on mutual insurance companies, but rather VAT on health paid by businesses and households. In fifteen years, our taxes increased from 720 million euros to 6.5 billion euros. This is unreasonable and unfair. In fact, the tax is proportional to the contribution, so the more contributions you pay – especially for retirees – the more you will be taxed. Additional income is certainly needed, but expenses also have to be reworked.
In what way?
It is important to review the relevance of the prescription and its harmonization. This could save billions of euros. An end to overprescription of drugs, excessive procedures and even changes in behavior regarding diet and physical activity are factors that must be activated. High Health Authorities as well as learned societies have established clear recommendations regarding the management of various diseases. Following this policy will provide reassurance for policyholders as well as peace of mind for healthcare professionals.
The Minister of Health justified this tax by the fact that mutual insurance companies saw their rates decrease following the increase of the number of sufferers of long-term illnesses (ALD), is this so?
Of course, there are 300,000 more people each year who enter the long-term illness system (where coverage is 100% of the amount reimbursable by Health Insurance). However, this does not mean lower costs for mutual insurance companies. The benefits paid by a co-insurance company for someone who uses ALD is approximately twice as much as for someone who doesn’t. Co-insurance helps reduce out-of-pocket expenses, which without them would be very high. Let’s move away from purely accounting and technocratic tests of intent and vision.
Contributions increased by an average of 6% this year. And in 2026?
I don’t know, we usually have a clear picture of the situation in December. However, health spending dynamics remain strong due to the increasing population and increasingly expensive medical techniques.
To reduce the cost of these contributions, the idea of a basic health contract that covers less is often raised, while 2.5 million people do not have co-insurance in France. Is this topic making progress?
In the first half of this year, we put forward a proposal to overhaul the government’s accountable solidarity contract. If this is followed, members can then choose a contract that covers more or less, in particular the basic contract whose coverage will be tightened on co-payments for medical consultations and medicines at 65%, inpatient as well as optical, dental and audio. This will reduce contract costs by 30% compared to currently observed average costs. I hope that these substantive issues can be resolved in the coming weeks and months with the executive.
On Monday, November 17, you launched a general health and social protection statement accompanied by mutual insurance companies and several social partners. What’s the goal?
Facing Social Security deficits and difficulties in accessing health care, society is questioning the strength of our health system and social protection model. However, for several years, we no longer asked policyholders for their opinions. Together with our partners, we want to give voice to fellow citizens and health professionals to question the adaptations that must be made to guarantee access to health services for all, the share of wealth we are prepared to allocate to our health systems and how these efforts are distributed between generations. In this way, politicians will be able to utilize all or part of the state’s revenues to fund electoral programs during the 2027 presidential elections. I am sure that the issue of health and social protection will be at the heart of the next elections.
