Despite the adoption by the deputies of the Health Law, the doctors’ unions do not disarm. The CSMF and MG France ask liberal practitioners not to apply the generalization of third-party payment.
The adoption on Tuesday of the new Health Law by the deputies of the National Assembly angered the practitioners. “We ask all liberal doctors not to apply the generalized third-party payment. I officially call for civil disobedience with regard to the advance fee waiver for all at the end of 2017. ”Here are the words spoken this Wednesday morning during a press conference by Dr. Jean-Paul Ortiz, president of the CSMF (1), the main union of liberal doctors.
“Yes” for more social third party payment in 2015
For this trade unionist, only the “social” third party payment should see the light of day. Thus, Jean-Paul Ortiz says he is in agreement with the 2015 Social Security budget which provides for the extension from July 1, 2015 of the generalized third-party payment to beneficiaries of theACS (aid for the acquisition of supplementary health insurance), aid reserved for people whose resources are slightly above the ceiling for the allocation of the supplementary CMU.
And the slogan is identical on the side of the main general practitioner union, MG France, which asks “each general practitioner not to practice the” generalized third-party payment “since this measure makes him take risks. In particular, this union asks general practitioners not to attempt third-party payment with complementary plans.
Dr Jean-Paul Ortiz, president of the CSMF: ” Doctors have an ethic. We are only opposed to a generalization of third-party payment for all, mandatory, bureaucratic … “
On the “social” third party payment, the president of the CSMF confides: “Currently, more than 30% of our consultations in the town offices are already done in third party payment. Mainly for patients benefiting from CMU-C (complementary universal health coverage) and State medical aid, but not only. We also sometimes cash a check at the end of the month when we are faced with a patient in financial difficulties, ”he says.
A boycott of the device from 2016
Concretely, this boycott will begin from July 2016, when the health bill provides that patients covered 100% by health insurance (long-term illnesses such as diabetes, pregnant women, etc.) have access generalized third-party payment. It will continue in January 2017, where the device must then be tested for all policyholders, to become “a right” for all French people at the end of November 2017.
Fears about the future role of insurers
But before getting there, Jean-Paul Ortiz still intends to wage a final battle, that of the Senate review of the Health Bill. He is already promising strong lobbying from the doctors’ unions.
“I am hopeful that they will change the text,” he slipped during his speech to the press. While admitting that the last word will go to the deputies of the National Assembly, the majority of which are in favor of the generalized third party payment. “If the measure is definitively adopted, the big winners will be the complementary health services whose objectives are financial,” he concludes.
Dr Jean-Paul Ortiz : ” It is to make invisible the rise of the tariffs of the complementary and the disengagement of the State for the small risk. We are moving towards a two-speed system…. “
(1) Confederation of French Medical Syndicates
.
