“It is not a question of casting anathema on doctors, nor on policyholders, nor on businesses,” assures the head of the Cnam

Thomas Fatôme indicated on Sunday that the health insurance deficit will “probably be higher” than expected in 2024.

“It is not a question of casting anathema on doctors, nor on policyholders, nor on businesses”but of “preserve a health insurance system”explained Thomas Fatôme, general director of the National Health Insurance Fund, on franceinfo on Tuesday, September 10.

Daily allowances represent five billion euros of additional expenditure over ten years, specified the resigning Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire. Controlled in 2023, these expenses started to rise again in the first half of 2024. “This is why we are mobilizing in a very operational manner”explains Thomas Fatôme.

The causes of the increase in health expenditure are: “multifactorial”admits the head of the Cnam, but he wants to tackle fraud. “We have summoned 270,000 insured persons in 2023 on the basis of targeting. In approximately 30% of cases, the work stoppage is not justified”he said. The objective in the new medical agreement signed in June “is to reduce the volume of work stoppages by 2% per year, which represents 300 million euros”he said.

The Cnam also wishes to move closer by the end of the year to “7 000 GPs to discuss their prescriptions”The MG France union did not appreciate the initiative: “By constantly hitting doctors and hitting patients, with waiting days, with checks, etc., they are unable to control this increase, so it must have other causes.”explains its president Jean-Christophe Nogrette on Monday on franceinfo. The 60% increase in spending is due to “an economic and demographic factor”according to Thomas Fatôme. “Afterwards, we have 40% where we don’t know how to explain”he explains.

According to him, companies present “atypical absenteeism” with “lots of work stoppages, work accidents, occupational diseases”By the end of the year, the Cnam will move closer to “nearly 1 000 companies with more than 200 employees” who face significant absenteeism among their employees. The objective is to“support the company” For “see how we can possibly adjust the organization of work to try to reduce stoppages”he explains.

For Thomas Fatôme, “We also have issues of equity”He asks himself: “Why are employees in large companies often covered for the first three days of waiting? And why are employees in small companies much less so?” It proposes to social partners to “sit around the table” to evoke “all subjects”The National Health Insurance Fund is meeting with doctors’ unions on Wednesday to launch the new medical agreement which was signed in June.