Mutual Health Insurance in France: Understanding the 2024 Increases and Impact on Budgets

2023-12-19 14:10:43

Next year, the French will face a new financial constraint, with a significant increase in health spending. Mutual societies are, in fact, planning an average increase of 8.1% on their contributions, forcing citizens to draw more from their budgets.

France’s mutual health insurance companies are planning significant increases of 8% to 12.5% ​​on their contributions from 2024, with an average value set at 8.1%. This is what emerges from a survey by Mutualité Française, which covered some 38 mutual societies, published this Tuesday. Broken down by type of contract, the average increase for individual contracts will be 7.3%, while compulsory collective contracts taken out by companies for the benefit of their employees should experience an increase of 9.9%.

The figures were already understood well before their release by policyholders, as well as by the government which fears, through this unprecedented revaluation, a new hard blow to the purchasing power of households. Friday, December 15, the Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, again reiterated his disapproval of the extent of the increases already anticipated for several weeks. It was then that he met with mutual societies and insurers, and provident institutions.

Sunday, December 17, Aurélien Rousseau returned to the charge on France 3 to say the “nonsense” of such an increase, he who was hoping for a more logical revaluation around 4%. “ An increase of 4 to 5% would be logical, 8% makes no sense, 10% even less “, he warned, even if the government cannot control these prices.

Health spending increases by 6%

But now the supplementaries decide for an average increase of 8.1%, ignoring the reservations put forward a priori by the supervision with the aim of saving as best as possible, to have a greater impact on purchasing power. This is an increase. inevitable », defend, for their part, the insurers who logically explain that faced with increases in costs, generated in particular by inflation, it was necessary to reassess the selling prices of products to restore a certain commercial balance.

Insurers also mention another motivation which forced this increase, namely “ health spending (which) was extremely dynamic in 2023. The increase was 6% when we were expecting more than 3 or more 4% », Explains Eric Chenuf, president of Mutualité française. The revaluation of the salaries of healthcare workers, the increase in the prices of healthcare, accompanied by a consumption of healthcare which is also increasing significantly with the Covid-19 epidemic, and the reduction in reimbursements for dental care, have visibly raised the health spending more than expected.

In total, the complementary funds amount to 1.5 billion euros in additional expenses to be compensated in 2024. This made the increase in contributions inevitable, explains the Mutuality. To avoid these sharp increases, Eric Chenut suggests “ review the reference care basket ”, which he currently finds very expensive. He suggests providing it with a certain additional modularity so as to “ allow people to cover themselves at the level they need ».

1703000705
#mutual #health #insurance #prices #explode

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.