Two months after the failure of their negotiation with Health Insurance, the unions of liberal doctors have an appointment Monday with the senior official designated to “arbitrate” the file, and who could record an increase in consultation rates. The former inspector of social affairs Annick Morel will deliver her verdict at 11 a.m. to the six representative unions of liberal doctors, several officials of whom announced this meeting, by press release or via social networks.
The same who, at the end of February, had refused en bloc the proposal of Health Insurance, despite an envelope of 1.5 billion euros per year, in the long term, to upgrade the consultations. The doctors had thus said no to a general, unconditional increase of 1.50 euros, which would have notably increased the basic price of general practitioners to 26.50 euros – for a total cost of 600 million in a full year.
Too little for unions who demanded a minimum of 30 euros, and had braced themselves against the “territorial commitment contract” opening this second level of price to practitioners accepting certain counterparties: taking more patients, night, exercising in a medical desert, working on Saturday mornings…
The lack of agreement also brought down other measures in favor of medical assistants, “unscheduled care” (without appointments) and attending physicians, the government’s stated priorities. These could however be fished out in the “arbitration rules” drafted by Annick Morel, ultimately subject to the validation of the Minister of Health, François Braun. But the executive intends to be on the whole less generous than the Social Security, to push the doctors to resume discussions. “We all have an interest in signing changing something,” explained the minister’s entourage at the end of February, after the failure of negotiations.