In April it was announced that, in the final months of 2023, the price of medical appointments in France will rise.
There are basically two areas in the French health system in which charges are levied, namely appointments with medical professionals and the cost of any treatment (medication, tests, scans, surgery etc) that they prescribe. The change in rates will impact consultations.
The government sets the standard rates for consultations. The price for each consultation will increase by €1.50.
• For most general practitioners (sector 1 doctors who charge the government agreed amount) the cost of an appointment will go up from €25 to €26.50.
• For specialists, rates will increase from €30 to €31.50.
• For more complex consultations with a specialist the rate will rise from €46 to €47.50.
Health officials have stated that the reimbursement percentage rates will not change.
If you have an appointment with a sector one doctor, the rate of reimbursement is 70 percent, minus €1 of ‘fixed participation’. Thus, for appointments costing €25, this meant that €16.50 would be reimbursed by the French government. For many people resident in France, the remaining amount (€7.50) is covered by the patient’s own health insurance (mutuelle).
The change to the cost of appointments will lead to an increase in the leftover 30 percent to be covered by the patient’s health insurance (mutuelle) too.
For a standard médecin généraliste (GP) appointment, the €7.50 left for complementary health insurance or individuals to cover will be increased to €7.95. For specialist appointments, this amount will rise from €9 to €9.45.