The National Assembly began on Tuesday the examination of the bill of health. Among the 50 amendments, article 18 specifies the conditions for the application of generalized third-party payment.
The calendar is relaxed, but the principle reaffirmed – no offense to health professionals who demonstrated this Sunday. An amendment specifies the conditions of application of the third party payment, governed by article 18 of the health bill, which the deputies of the Social Affairs Committee are currently examining in Parliament.
As of November 30, 2017, patients will therefore no longer have to advance the costs during medical consultations. The deadline has been changed slightly from previous announcements by the Minister of Health, who set the date for 1er January 2017. But in the meantime, the presidential elections will have taken place, which could well upset the entire program, in the event of a change of majority.
As of December 31, 2016, the third-party payment will apply to long-term illnesses (ALD) and other 100% insured persons (pregnant women, work-related accidents, etc.).
The amendment also sets another key date for national health insurance funds, mutual societies, provident institutions and insurance companies. By December 31, 2015, they must have sent “jointly” to the Minister of Health a report on the technical solutions to be put in place in order to generalize third-party payment. As for any delays in payment, as previously announced, they may give rise to penalties, which Health Insurance will have to pay to doctors.
Medical deductibles
The issue of franchises, finally, is settled. Following the recommendations of the IGAS (General Inspectorate of Social Affairs), the deductible will be “paid directly by the insured to the health insurance body, taken from the insured’s bank account after the latter’s authorization”. The other solution could consist in recovering this deductible “on the benefits of any kind to come”, as is the current case.
.
