On the evening of May 30, MPs adopted a bill that provides for full coverage of breast cancer care.
- The bill aimed at full reimbursement of breast cancer care was adopted by MPs at first reading on May 30, 2024.
- It will allow the reimbursement of supportive care or even medical devices or prescribed health products.
- Only excess fees will not be covered by Health Insurance.
After receiving the green light from the Social Affairs Committee, the bill allowing full reimbursement of breast cancer care was adopted by MPs in first reading this Thursday evening. Only one exception is provided for: excess fees.
Breast cancer: supportive care covered
100% coverage of the co-payment and provided by Social Security due to the long-term illness (ALD) status of breast cancer. However, certain expenses related to the disease remained the responsibility of patients depending on their complementary insurance, such as the purchase of medical devices or health products prescribed as part of the treatments (surgical underwear, renewal of the breast prosthesis, vitamins, etc.) or the costs incurred for access to supportive care (psychological monitoring, dietetics, etc.).
The aim of this text is to allow the reimbursement of all of these treatments. If the coverage of hair prostheses of all categories and the renewal of breast prostheses have already been enacted, the list of supportive care will be established by decree after consultation with health professionals and associations.
“We are going to send a strong signal to all women who are affected by this terrible disease. It is the deadliest cancer we have in France and it causes the most damage to the flesh of women who are affected by it.”declared the rapporteur Fabien Roussel (PCF) after the adoption of the text in the National Assembly, then recalling “that there are 700,000 women affected by this cancer”.
Breast cancer: excess fees remain a responsibility
Once this text comes into force, only excess fees will remain the responsibility of patients. If their reimbursement was provided for in the initial text, an amendment had been tabled in committee by Renaissance to exclude it.
“This would encourage professionals to increase the amount and frequency of excesses and it is the taxpayer who would bear the cost of this inflationary measure”estimated the Renaissance speaker Jean-François Rousset according to AFP.