“If we see that the outlook for 2025 allows us to increase prices again, we will do so,” promises the head of Cnam

Medical analysis laboratories will “almost all” remain closed from Friday until Monday, for four days of strike action called by biologists’ unions, who are very angry about the price cuts imposed on them by health insurance.

“If we see that the outlook for 2025 allows us to readjust the rates, to increase them again, we will do so”assures Friday September 20 on franceinfo Thomas Fatome, general director of health insurance, while the medical analysis laboratories remain closed Friday 20 until Monday September 23 to contest the 9% drop in the prices of the acts. The biologists accuse the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) of having “betrayed” a three-year conventional agreement (2024-2026) signed in June 2023, and to have taken this decision “without prior consultation”.

The price of the glycated hemoglobin test carried out to diagnose diabetes has been reduced, for example, by almost 53%, to 2.25 euros per procedure. Laboratories fear that this price reduction will impact their turnover: “Health insurance is not asking for any additional effort, it is simply asking that the signature that was affixed to the protocol last year be respected and that we remain within the framework of the envelope that was decided together. I am not going to take money away from the biologists.”explains Thomas Fatome. “It’s hard to hear that in the first year of this agreement, this contract, well, ultimately, we want to get out of it.”he added.

The sector’s inter-union, including the SNMB and SDBIO for liberal biologists, or the SNBH, representing hospital biologists, plan “a massive movement”There are 4,200 analysis laboratories in France: “Their numbers are increasing, it is a very profitable sector”underlines Thomas Fatome.

The surge in prescriptions for biological analyses in recent months has forced health insurance to react to avoid exceeding the budget envelope of 3.8 billion euros planned for 2024 for the coverage of these examinations. Health insurance is demanding 120 million from analysis laboratories before the end of the year: “What they may forget to say is that I wrote to them a fortnight ago to tell them that at the beginning of 2025, we would be sitting down again to check the spending outlook for 2025.”specifies the general director of the Cnam.

Thomas Fatome refuted the idea that biology laboratories are forced “closing on December 15th” due to lack of budgetary appropriations: “That is absolutely not the case. Biology laboratories will remain open all year round. There will be no closure imposed by health insurance.”he assures.

The head of the Cnam encourages the unions to enter into dialogue. “I suggested that we continue to talk to each other, to see each otherexplains Thomas Fatome. Unfortunately, sorry to say it like this, but it was the biologists’ unions that implemented the empty chair policy. It was health insurance that entered into dialogue, it was laboratory unions, biologists’ unions that positioned themselves in a dynamic of refusal. I told them very clearly that we would talk again in 2025.” he says.