Medical unions announced Thursday the end of the consultation at 23 euros at the general practitioner. They will now consult their database to find a common amount.
During a joint press conference organized on Thursday, the three main general practitioners’ unions (MG France, FMF, UNOF-CSMF) announced that they had finally reached an agreement on the principle of ending the consultation at 23 euros in medical offices. The hypothesis of a concerted revaluation with the public authorities receding, the doctors decided to bang their fists on the table by setting themselves the value of the medical act.
For general practitioners who will follow this call for tariff disobedience, actually launched almost a year ago by MG France, the organizations have asked to wait officially for the end of 2015 before taking action. And to find out by what common tariff the C at 23 euros will be replaced from January 1, 2016, these unionists have decided to turn to their base.
An online questionnaire
Doctors must respond within fifteen days to 13 questions on their intentions to join (or not) a collective movement: Are you going to participate in the pricing action in early 2016, are you ready to deconvent yourself, or would you be interested in starting the tariff disobedience with a quotation of 25 euros.
The common tariff under discussion
And in this story, the price is precisely the sinews of the day. While MG France and its president, Claude Leicher, already practiceprice fairness with specialists (25 euros) for nearly a year, the other unions, them, remain cautious.
Jean-Paul Hamon, president of the FMF, was clear on the subject: “We will launch this appeal for 25 euros only if the base asks us in the poll”. Before reiterating his wish to see the remuneration of French general practitioners approach that of their European colleagues, that is to say between 42-45 euros.
Finally, the UNOF-CSMF, the third union of general practitioners, does not believe in the usefulness of proposing such a high amount fearing that the doctors will not apply it. Its president, Luc Duquesnel, recalled the union’s position: “30 euros for basic consultations, and beyond for those who require more time (for the elderly with multiple diseases, for example)”. This tariff schedule still remains to be defined …
Legal proceedings by the funds are possible
We understand that the union unity of this conference also showed divisions, no doubt because of the stake of this tariff movement. It should be remembered that doctors take risks by disobeying Medicare. Failure to apply the conventional tariff of 23 euros thus exposes the prosecution of the CPAM (1) which may result in the failure to cover the practitioner’s social contributions.
Negotiations for the next medical agreement scheduled for spring 2016 therefore promise to be lively.
(1) Primary health insurance fund
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