All health actors agree: almost four months after his appointment as Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau came to one “Test moment”. Several moments, even, as the files pile up on his desk. State medical aid questioned in SenateHealth spending savings debated in Parliament, resumption of conventional negotiations with private doctorsHospital under tension on the eve of the winter season, Lack of medication… The minister who promised this when he took office on July 21st “Time for evidence” had come, still runs on a wire. He admits it half-heartedly: “In the Ministry of Health, in all emergencies it is already necessary not to make mistakes, it is fundamental.”he argues as he greets us on Thursday, November 16th.

The last days, He occupied the ministerial bench in the Senate, where the “Secu” budget for 2024, widely denounced as inadequate, was discussed article by article.

With a topic that has caused debate even though it is formally missing from the text: deductibles. The “doubling” of these amounts continues to be the responsibility of the insured, which will be applied for fifteen years to each box of medicine purchased (0.50 euros) or during a consultation with the doctor (1 euro) and mentioned as a way to save health expenses has not yet been decided. To the great horror of the doctors and patientswho are against this possible increase, but also opposition parliamentarians, both from the right and from the left, who have continued to attack the minister in this regard, both in the Assembly and in the Senate “Shadow Zone”. The discussions at the Palais du Luxembourg on Thursday evening provided another example.

“The decision has not been made yet”

The person concerned denies any lack of transparency. “We are not hiding anything, the decision has not been made yet, it will be made before the end of the year”, he assures us. It is time for the executive to decide whether or not this scenario will reflect the anger of the French over purchasing power. He says to himself today “ready to take over” this controversial measure. With new supporting characters: “Tomorrow that would be an average of around 17 euros more per person per year if we doubled it.” » A way to avoid further cuts to the healthcare budget as the “Secu” deficit begins to rise again.

This increase in medical deductibles should make it possible to unlock 800 million euros of the 1.3 billion euros in planned savings for the year “Accountability” Actor. With a guarantee: compliance with an upper limit of 50 euros per patient per year – its ” Red line ” – is intended to make it possible to maintain patients with long-term illnesses. “They are almost all at this upper limit”he said.

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