Dominique Viot: 'The increase in mutual insurance contributions in 2025 is inevitable'

'The increase in mutual insurance contributions in 2025 is inevitable due to several factors. Health spending in France is structurally increasing: while health spending rose by 4% in 2022, growth continues in 2023 with a 5.2% increase. An aging population, access to new treatments and medical technologies, and better recognition of healthcare professions explain these upward trend developments,' explains Dominique Viot, president of the Délégation du Var of Mutualité Française.

Benefits paid by mutuals are increasing: reimbursements in the dental, optical, and audiology sectors concerned by the 100% santé scheme continue to rise, the effects of pay increases for healthcare professionals, and new benefits such as commitment to oral-dental prevention or the financing of new treatments against bronchiolitis, for example, are driving up spending. These two effects represent over €2 billion for 2025 for complementary insurers.

Individual contracts, held by 64% of mutual members, mainly elderly people, young people, and self-employed professionals, will see their contributions increase by an average of 5.3%. INEVITABLE INCREASE IN CONTRIBUTIONS Individual contracts will increase by an average of 5.3%. Contributions for mandatory collective contracts will increase by an average of 7.3%, and optional collective contracts by 6.8%.

Expenditure reimbursed by complementary insurers is rising even more sharply than overall health spending, with a clear acceleration in recent years: +6.4% in 2023, after +4.3% in 2022.

Finally, to 'curb' spending by Assurance Maladie, public authorities are transferring coverage to complementary organisations, without consultation with healthcare system stakeholders and without transferring risk management levers.

Eric Chenut, president of Mutualité Française, warns: 'We understand that people are questioning this increase, but it is done at the strictly necessary level to ensure the long-term protection of everyone. Health spending is rising two to three times faster than national wealth. With our aging population and scientific advances, and without structural reform, this spending will continue to rise until we can no longer cope with it.'

TOWARDS ANOTHER HEALTHCARE SYSTEM The current political instability, the absence of a voted PLFSS for 2025, and the 'fog effect' of this context are hindering the ability of companies to manage their economic activity. While an increase in co-payments (tickets modérateurs) on medicines and consultations with doctors and midwives was being considered for 2025 just a few days ago, with a financial impact of €1.1 billion for complementary organisations, the censure of the Gouvernement Barnier will, perhaps, reshuffle the cards.

Mutuals are suffering from this context and are facing it responsibly. In 2025, contributions will increase by an average of 6% across all mutual contracts. Protecting our members is our commitment, and our complementary health insurance is in deficit in 2023 (-0.4%).

'For several years now, we have been dependent on a unilateral and accounting approach by public authorities, who too often treat mutuals as an adjustment variable. Reducing the deficit of Assurance Maladie will not be resolved by transfer mechanisms that in no way address the funding and efficiency levers we need, now urgently. Responsibility must prevail, at the service of social security recipients: let us all work together, citizens, the State, professionals, and mutuals, to preserve an accessible, solidarity-based, and equitable funding system,' explains Eric Chenut.

A multi-year outcome is key to taking concrete action for the benefit of social security recipients. It provides visibility and the ability to anticipate for everyone.

Photos PRESSE AGENCE. NOTE...

3 LEVERS TO ACT VERY QUICKLY: • Rethinking the allocation of funding for a resilient healthcare system: rebalancing coverage to restore pooling among members at all stages of life would be a powerful lever to moderate contribution increases and therefore ensure the sustainability of complementary coverage. • Managing health resources more rigorously: billions in spending could be avoided by addressing efficiency and the drivers of health expenditure: standardisation of prescriptions, fighting over-prescription and redundancy of certain acts, fighting social fraud on certain Assurance Maladie expenditures, and fighting the financialisation of the healthcare system. • Investing in a real prevention policy: we must take action and invest heavily in a prevention policy.

This is an imperative to break the curve of chronic diseases and adapt to demographic and ecological transitions.

La Mutualité Française calls for this fundamental reform, which requires the commitment of all stakeholders, and invites a rethinking of the frameworks of action at national and local levels.