The government unveils on Tuesday the main features of the 2021 Social Security budget, hollowed out by the cost of the health crisis.

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ALLILI MOURAD / SIPA

Unprecedented deficit and exponential health spending, but also an extension of paternity leave and the creation of a fifth branch dedicated to care for dependency: here are the main characteristics of the Social Security budget for 2021, unveiled on Tuesday.

An extraordinary deficit

We knew it was abysmal, but how much remains to be seen.

End of the suspense: the Social Security deficit for the current year is estimated at 44.7 billion euros (against a little over 5 billion in 2019), with 30 billion euros for the sickness branch and 7, 9 billion for the retirement branch.

Since the arrival of Covid-19 in France, the return to balance has been relegated to the status of a “life before” objective for two reasons: health expenditure has, logically, exploded and Social security resources, largely made up of social contributions, have been largely impacted by the sharp rise in unemployment and the continued partial unemployment of many employees.

Good news or detail?

The deficit turns out to be less important than what the Sécu accounts commission estimated in June (52.2 billion), the recession (10%) being ultimately less severe than it feared.

According to the Social Security financing bill (PLFSS), the deficit would still amount to 25.5 billion euros in 2021.

An increasingly costly health crisis

Purchases of masks, reimbursements for tests, work stoppages, support for nursing staff and hospitals ... The cost of the Covid-19 epidemic continues to climb and will exceed 10 billion euros this year.

That is to say an increase in the Ondam (National target for health insurance expenditure) of 7.6% for this year, against + 2.45% voted in the initial PLFSS, voted at the end of 2019.

And as neither the year nor the epidemic is coming to an end, an upward revision of this expenditure is still possible.

Same thing for 2021: 4.3 billion euros have been budgeted for, in particular, masks, tests and the possible vaccination campaign, if there is a vaccine.

In addition for next year 7.3 billion euros will be added to finance the “Segur agreements”, signed in July.

Some 5.7 billion will be dedicated to raising the salaries of caregivers and 1.6 billion to investments in the health system.

In total, the government forecasts an Ondam increase of 3.5% in 2021.

Extension of paternity leave

Emmanuel Macron had already sold the wick: from next July, the duration of leave for a father - or the second parent - of an unborn or adopted child will be reduced from 14 to 28 days, of which 7 are compulsory.

The three days of birth leave will always be paid by the employer, and the remaining 25 days will be compensated by Social Security.

As is already the case, seven additional days will be added in the case of a multiple birth.

Price of the measure for the family branch: 250 million euros next year, then 500 million in 2022, in a full year.

Dependency gets its branch for lack of funding

The PLFSS acknowledges the creation of a fifth branch of social security, dedicated to taking care of dependency and loss of autonomy.

It must be added to the four existing branches: sickness, retirement, family, accidents at work.

From next year, it will consolidate the credits intended for disabled people and dependent elderly people.

The Minister of Solidarity, Olivier Véran, had promised "at least one billion euros" more for this branch, far from the 9 billion needed by 2030 according to a report submitted to the government last year.

Health

Social security: “unprecedented” deficit in 2020, still “very high” in 2021

Society

The duration of paternity leave will be doubled in 2021

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  • Coronavirus

  • Paternity leave

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