According to the Institute specializing in health economics, dispensing advance fees for patients would not be inflationary. Doctors fear being seen as a simple service.
The Minister of Social Affairs and Health, Marisol Touraine, presented this Thursday various measures to change our health system in depth and in particular to improve the access of the French to city medicine. The first of these is the generalization of third-party payment, a device that avoids the advance of costs for the patient during medical consultations, as is already done in pharmacies. A device which should therefore be generalized to all insured by 2017. But according to some doctors, this measure will not be without difficulties. In particular, according to them, the risk is that it relieves patients of their responsibility and encourages them to over-consume care. “The third party payment will have no impact on consumption”, however assured the Minister during the press conference on Thursday.
The third-party payer fairer than inflationary
However, this fear of a consumerist drift caused by generalized third-party payment is not new and several socio-economic studies have already shown that this was not the case. Moreover for the Institute for Research and Documentation in Health Economics (IRDES) which carried out a investigation of this type in 2000, it is clear that third-party payment does not run the risk of slipping healthcare consumption in France.
Listen to Yann Bourgueil, Director of IRDES: “With third-party payment, we have an increase in the use of the healthcare system, but this does not encourage the insured to consume more. “
A devaluation of the doctor’s image
While many health economists therefore confirm that the generalized third-party payment would not further push the French to abuse the health care system, on the other hand many experts fear that this device will weaken the image of health professionals. . Some explain that the generalized third-party payment could change the way the patient looks at the doctor in a negative way.
Listen to Yann Bourgueil: ” Doctors are worried about becoming a service for patients that can be consumed immediately without commitment. “
However, this Thursday during the press conference for the presentation of the orientations of the Health Law Marisol Touraine hammered, probably intended for health professionals, that it was not reasonable to convey the message to the public that this measure would relieve patients of responsibility. According to her, it is necessary that health professionals stop this discourse, because “this measure will have no impact on their exercise. “” I refuse the idea that there are irresponsible French people, I do not believe that there are health tourists, nor imaginary patients at 21th century, ”she clearly stated.
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