The Minister of Health announced an increase in reimbursements for routine care, as well as a price cap on prostheses.
“Dentists are too expensive”. Guest of the program Dimanche politique of France 3, Marisol Touraine, the Minister of Health, recognized that dental care is a “concern” for the French. An inequality of access to care to which the State is preparing to respond: 200 million euros will be devoted to reimbursements for dental care in the 2017 Social Security budget.
In addition to this envelope, the minister wishes to put in place “from next year, a system in which there will be a maximum price for prostheses”. A measure that would be part of a “national plan to strengthen the accessibility of dental care” mentioned last week by the minister.
Limit the price of prostheses
“So that dentists find their way there, we will better reimburse conservative care (scaling, treatment of decay or devitalization of a tooth, note)”, she added to the antenna of France 3. Discussions with these professionals have already started last week to establish a new tariff agreement. The director of Health Insurance, Nicolas Revel, would have the objective of “reducing the remainder of household responsibility for dental care by limiting excess fees from 2017”.
On this occasion, dental unions should demand a significant increase in these conservative treatments, which according to them represent a third of their turnover while they occupy two-thirds of their activity.
Severe report from the Court of Auditors
Each year, the amount of oral health care is estimated at around 10 billion euros, of which more than 2 billion would come directly from the pockets of patients, once reimbursements from health insurance and mutual funds have been deducted. Result: nearly 40% of French people give up treatment recommended by the dentist, for lack of sufficient care.
An unacceptable situation, according to the Court of Auditors. In its report made public last week, the Sages of rue Cambon denounced the state of oral health “mediocre of the French population”. To remedy this, they recommend that health insurance cover prevention, light and maintenance acts and that the heaviest care such as orthodontics and prostheses be covered by complementary health insurance.
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