According to the daily Les Echos, the Minister of Social Affairs and Health would be ready to come back to some points of contention in her health bill. As the end-of-year celebrations approach and the announced strike movement of doctors and emergency physicians is only gaining momentum, Marisol Touraine would be ready to make a gesture to calm the anger of liberal doctors and private clinics . The minister would be ready in particular to return to the main bone of contention with private clinics: the prohibition of fee overruns for all activities of establishments fulfilling a mission of “public hospital service”. It also intends to spare the susceptibility of doctors: pharmacists who will vaccinate in place of doctors will have a training obligation and will have to return to the attending physician.
Another point of tension: the generalization of third-party payment (therefore the exemption of advance fees) for patients during a consultation. Doctors refuse this generalization, fearing that technical difficulties will delay their payment. The ministry is therefore considering providing guarantees to reassure doctors on this last point.
Remember that the Health Bill should be debated in early 2015 in Parliament. This project aims to focus on prevention and better access to care. All with a concern for economy, since the Health Insurance must save 10 billion euros between 2015 and 2017.
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