many opticians pinned down by the Fraud Repression

“None of the opticians mentioned this thing“, is surprised Marion, who recently had to buy a pair of glasses. “That thing“, it is the “100% Health”, a reform which aimed to make accessible to all, the most expensive care. Launched by the government in 2019, the device makes it possible to obtain glasses, hearing aids and dental prostheses, 100% reimbursed by Social Security A report from the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), published Thursday, July 7, reports a lack of information customers by professionals. While dentists and audioprosthetists systematically offer them, opticians inform their customers very little of its existence.

However, opticians have the obligation, in each estimate, to make a 100% health offer to their customers. However, when Marion decided to buy a new pair of glasses, neither of the two opticians she went to spoke to her. “of this story of 100% Health, no paper was shown to me”she laments. Like her, fraud prevention investigators (DGCCRF) noted that the most common anomalies concerned biased quotes: some opticians show on their quotes a balance payable for the “100% Health” offer, which the effect of diverting consumers from this offer.

For her part, Coraline has noticed that “100% Health” frames are poorly displayed in stores, often at the very bottom. Worse, opticians even denigrate the offer on glasses: “The insistence of opticians that the lenses are of lower quality, that they are not thin enough or not really scratch-resistant“, notes Coraline.

“Systematically, they offer glasses and frames that are not covered or very little reimbursed”

Coraline, a customer who would like to change glasses

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The Directorate General for the Prevention of Fraud has found that more than 70% of the opticians inspected are in violation and do not or poorly offer the 100% Health offer. The follow-up given to these findings led to simple “pedagogical measures” Where “compliance injunctions“, ranging up to 17 administrative reports drawn up for “most serious shortcomings“, according to the DGCCRF. These practices are all the more harmful, according to the inspectors, as the consumer generally relies on the advice and expertise of professionals.

After reimbursement by Social Security and mutuals, the remainder to be paid is around 150 euros on average for the consumer, an increase of 18 euros in two years.