The outline of the national health strategy must be presented this Monday by the Minister of Health. As a preview, Marisol Touraine revealed in an interview with Liberation some measures that should be launched for the next ten years.
These reforms desired by the Minister aim to reduce health inequalities by focusing more on prevention, “develop[ant] the rights of patients” and by inventing “a course medicine”. These major projects will be deepened and will be part of a “national strategy law” in 2014, indicated the minister.
Third-party payment first for the most modest
Concretely, the flagship measure of this new health policy involves the generalization from 2017 of third-party payment for medical consultations. “When you go to see your doctor, you will no longer have to advance the price of the consultation, as is already the case in pharmacies”, explained the minister. The first to benefit from generalized third-party payment will be the most modest households, “from the end of next year”.
More doctors in the countryside
Marisol Touraine also wishes to distribute the supply of care more equitably. For this, 300 multidisciplinary health centers will open “very soon”, assures the minister. There will also be added the opening of 200 positions for territorial practitioners at the end of the year, that is to say “general practitioners who settle in deserted areas” who will have a guaranteed income of 3,600 euros per month.
Relaunch of the personalized medical file
Regarding patients’ rights, they should be able to launch “group health actions” next year. For the sake of transparency and better information, “a public database” will be available next week, said the minister. Finally, the personalized medical record(computerized and secure health record accessible on the internet, editor’s note) should be relaunched, primarily for patients with chronic diseases and the elderly.
These reforms, particularly access to third-party payment, should reassure the French, worried about rising healthcare costs in their budget. A recent CSA Institute survey revealed that 17.4% of students waived treatment for financial reasons in the past 6 months.
