Health insurance is “agree to upgrade” general practitioners, and the increase to 26.5 euros recently “is only a step”, said Monday in an interview with Les Echos the director general of the National Fund of health insurance, Thomas Fatôme. “We probably misjudged the malaise in the profession,” said Thomas Fatôme, referring to the negotiations on medical tariffs in the spring which ended in failure. “I want us to get back around the table (…) We agree to upgrade the doctors, and the consultation at 26.50 euros should only be one step”, continues Thomas Fatôme. “And yes, we must reduce the gaps between generalists and specialists. We are not going to reproduce the proposals that were made at the start of the year,” he adds.
During negotiations in the first quarter of 2023, which aimed to redefine medical tariffs for the next five years, Health Insurance had proposed a revaluation to 30 euros of the consultation of the general practitioner, but only for those who accepted additional constraints to mobilize more time with patients. Among the bouquet of proposed commitments, there was thus the taking of guards, the opening on Saturday, the exercise in zone of weak medical presence… The unions of doctors had refused this conditional increase, and it is finally an agreement arbitration which was imposed, with the consultation revalued to 26.5 euros for all, without condition.
Last week, the Minister of Health François Braun also showed signs of openness to resume negotiations and find another text than the arbitration agreement. “I continue to discuss with the unions of general practitioners,” he explained during a hearing in the Senate. “I am rather resolutely optimistic that we can find a way” towards a new agreement, he had said.
