New measures on health spending will take effect from Friday 1 January. Reimbursement of homeopathy, 100% health reform, tobacco prices… Overview of what awaits patients in 2021.
As with every new year, January 1 brings its share of changes for the French. Among these novelties, those concerning health expenditure are the most awaited. Here are the three main measures that take place from Friday 1er January 2021.
Hearing aids 100% reimbursed
Good news for the 1.8 million French people who wear hearing aids. As of Friday, the last part of the 100% Health plan comes into effect, which provides for the full reimbursement of certain models of hearing aids.
How does it work? So far, a pair of hearing aids costs around 1,500 euros. A sum that is partially reimbursed by Health Insurance (240 euros) and complementary health insurance (approximately 710 euros) but which leaves a significant balance for many patients. 500,000 French people would thus give up equipping themselves with hearing aids because of their cost.
With the 100% Health reform, the price of the first model (class 1) will increase to 950 euros, and will be fully reimbursed by Social Security and mutual insurance companies. 100% Health devices are of equivalent quality to those not affected by the measure. According to the magazine UFC What To Choosewhich looked at a comparison between two hearing aids, one class 1 fully reimbursed, the other class 2, with a remainder payable by the patient, there are very few differences between the two models.
Homeopathy is no longer reimbursed
Announced by the government in July 2019, the total reimbursement of homeopathy will be effective from this Friday 1er january. Yet very popular with the French, this alternative medicine is no longer covered by health insurance and will therefore be entirely at the expense of patients.
The decision to delist him is in line with the opinion of the transparency committee of the Haute Autorité de santé (HAS) which, after sifting through nearly 300 studies, examined 29 contributions from trade unions, homeopathic doctors, associations of users, and listened to the manufacturers, judged its “insufficient efficiency” to justify continued reimbursement. “No study has demonstrated the superiority in terms of efficacy (morbidity) of the homeopathic approach compared to conventional treatments or placebo”, she concluded. According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the delisting of homeopathy should save 127 million euros per year.
An increase in the price of tobacco
If you have made the decision to quit smoking for the coming year, here is some information that should confirm your choice. A decree published in Official newspaper December 11 changes the price of cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars and rolling tobacco.
Some brands thus increase the price of a pack of 20 units from €9.50 to €9.60, others from €9.90 to €10.50 and still others from €10 to €10.10.
