France: liberal doctors and health insurance acknowledge the failure of their negotiations

Negotiations between liberal doctors and Health Insurance ended on Tuesday evening February 28.

GERARD JULIEN / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Negotiations between liberal doctors and Health Insurance ended on Tuesday evening February 28.

One after another, doctors' unions rejected the proposals.

The crisis is deep between the profession and the government.

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The €25 consultation fee had not been increased since 2017. Doctors were hoping for a substantial increase, at least equal to that of inflation.

The Health Insurance, which seeks at the same time to fight against medical deserts, proposed a tariff considered very low (€26.50) or a tariff of €30 under conditions: having more patients, participating in on-call duty or working in a medical wasteland.

► Also to listen: French liberal medicine in pain

According to the ministry, 40% of doctors already checked these boxes and could have earned €20,000 more each year.

For doctors, who work more than 55 hours a week on average and who are overwhelmed with administrative tasks, this conditional measure illustrates the lack of consideration for their profession.

And it cannot encourage young doctors to settle down.

► To read also: The government believes that it has made "a lot of effort" on the price of the medical consultation

Towards a two-speed medicine?

In a country where the health care system was based on well-established city medicine, the current malaise is serious.

Especially since the hospital is also out of breath.

It may just be a desperate attempt to put pressure on the government, but thousands of doctors are now asking their authorities for information on how to get out of the way, so that they can practice free fees. .

The deconvention of some of them would open the door to a two-speed medicine. 

► To read also: When France recruits foreign doctors to the detriment of Africa

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