It is a sea snake that regularly comes into government boxes. It’s no secret that the Social Security budget continues to grow and the government is looking for ways to keep expenses from continuing to grow.
To limit the bleeding, the Minister of Health announced on Thursday, July 23 that several decrees in preparation would change the situation regarding the rest paid by patients.
What is the government planning on health?
The government has announced 3 changes, through decrees sent to the Health Insurance.
- And doubling of the ceiling for medical deductibles
- Less reimbursement for drugs with low or moderate service provided
- An increase in the share of mutual insurance companies in the reimbursement of health transport, medical devices, certain medications and dental care. Without specifying in what proportion
Today, what is your remaining liability?
All French adults, after reimbursement from Social Security and when they are mutually insured, must pay in 2026:
- 1 euro for the purchase of all covered pharmacy medications
- 2 euros for all consultations with a general practitioner and specialist, on radiological examinations, medical biology analysis
- 4 euros for medical transport
Remember that medical deductibles and contributions have already doubled in 2024, going from 0.50 cents per box of medicine to 1 euro and from 1 euro per consultation to 2 euros.
Read more > Less reimbursed care, increased contributions… Patients are increasingly put to work
What will change for you?
- Treatments less reimbursed?
The wallets of millions of French people, especially the elderly, risk being affected by these ads. First of all, because the new drugs could be defunded or less well reimbursed. The minister wants to use the recommendations of the HAS to determine the drugs that will be affected.
- Deductibles that could increase?
It is not the deductible itself that increases, but the ceiling that doubles. Until now, this contribution could not exceed 50 euros for the purchase of medication and 50 euros for consultations per year. The government’s idea? Double this ceiling of the rest: if today it reaches 100 euros per year (50 euros for medicines and 50 euros for consultations), it could reach 200 euros. In addition to medications and treatments that will therefore be less reimbursed in the future.
A project contested by a number of patient and caregiver associations. That remains however less serious than the measure discussed last year to double medical deductibles.
“The government does not want to touch the deductibles because that would increase the bill from the first box of medicines,” said Stéphanie Rist. Xdefending that “by increasing the ceiling, i.e. a contribution from box 51” of drugs, “the proposed measures allow us to avoid spending and polypharmacy”.
According to the ministry’s calculations, clarified to our colleagues at Parisianthe rest paid by the insured concerned must increase by 18 € per year on average … but by 49 € for ALD patients. It is therefore clear that they are the big losers.
- Contributions for mutual funds on the rise?
Another consequence: with the plan to transfer part of the costs to mutual funds, there is no doubt that the latter risk increasing their prices. Knowing that they put a growing burden on the budgets of the family, especially pensioners, when the company no longer participates. In 2026, the contributions increased from 4.3 to 4.7%, after a high of 6% in 2025 on average, 8.1% in 2024 and 4.7% in 2023.
Who will be exempt from this doubling of the medical deductible ceiling?
- Under 18s
- Beneficiaries of Supplementary Solidarity Health (CSS) or State Medical Aid (AME), therefore the most precarious French
- Pregnant women (from the 1st day of the 6th month of pregnancy until the 12th day after delivery)
These measures do not change anything for these people. On the other hand, the 13.8 million people who has benefited from the long-term illness system (ALD) must pay this medical excess. It is therefore a safe bet that this measure will affect the elderly, a part of the population most affected by chronic diseases and long-term conditions.
France Assos Santé he also responded in a letter emphasizing that these decrees constitute a new attack on the purchasing power of the most vulnerable. “These announcements are part of a long series of measures that, year after year, increase the bill for patients: reduced reimbursement for dental care, increased deductibles, lump sum contributions and many hospital packages. Together, these decisions further weaken access to care, especially for the elderly, low-income families, people with disabilities and the chronically ill.”