Over the past five years, the annual budget for patient healthcare costs has increased by 75%.
- The budget for citizens’ health costs has increased from €715 in 2018 to €1,249 in 2023.
- Faced with inflation, 39% of young people aged 18 to 24 said they had difficulty paying for their care.
- Dental and optical care are considered the most expensive in the eyes of the French.
€1,249. This is the sum that the French dedicate to healthcare costs in 2023. In 2018, their budget was estimated at €715. Thus, in five years, it has increased by more than 500 €, according to a Cofidis study. This significant increase is “more marked for men (€1,646) and for dependent children under 18 (€550). It seems to be evidence of greater health concerns since the Covid-19 crisis”, specify the work.
26% of French people have given up on treatment in the last 12 months
According to the results, 83% of those questioned do not encounter any difficulty in paying for their care. Despite the indicators in the red with regard to purchasing power, 74% of citizens have not given up seeking treatment in the last 12 months. However, the renunciation of care remains a reality in the face of inflation. As proof: a quarter of adults, especially those with dependent children, say they are “tightening their belts” and 26% of respondents have had to give up treatment. Young people aged 18 to 24 are the most affected by the consequences of inflation: 39% said they had difficulty paying for their care.
Remains at zero charge: the amount is too high
“For five years, the remainder to be paid – that is to say the amount that remains to be paid by the patient after taking charge of health insurance and mutual insurance if he has one – has increased but remains relatively stable: €288 per year, i.e. approximately €24 per month (vs. €232 in 2018)”, can we read in the results. Nevertheless, the amount is still too high for the French. Patients consider dental and optical care, which they most often forgo, to be the most expensive.
Healthcare costs: 44% of people implement optimization strategies
In order to pay their health costs, 17% of people encountering difficulties have used several solutions. The latter draw either from their budget allocated to current expenses (60%), or from their personal savings (39%), or ask their family for help (18%), or take out a loan (16%).
Some (44%) have implemented strategies to reduce their healthcare costs. Among them, make sure not to buy back a medicine they already have at home, make an appointment only with doctors or specialists approved in sector 1, ask to be prescribed only generic or reimbursed medicines and compare the prices charged. from one pharmacy to another.
