France plans higher healthcare co-payments

Paris – 24 July 2026: The French government intends to once again increase the burden on insured persons through medical deductibles. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced on 23 July that the annual caps on medical deductible amounts and flat-rate co-payments would be doubled. According to sources close to her, the measure is expected to save around EUR750 million. At the same time, the government is considering an increase in the so-called Ticket modérateur, the share of a service not reimbursed by statutory health insurance.

The planned changes are linked to the strained financial situation of the French health insurance system. Sources close to the minister estimate that increasing the share of services not covered by compulsory insurance could yield savings of between EUR1 billion and EUR2 billion. Together, the two measures could therefore bring nearly EUR3 billion to public funds. However, specific rates, the groups of services affected and a binding date for entry into force have not yet been determined.

In France, deductible amounts are subtracted from reimbursements for medicines, services provided by non-physician health professionals and medical transport. In addition, there is a flat-rate co-payment for doctor visits, laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging. Under the current rules of Assurance Maladie, the annual cap is EUR50 in each case. The political debate therefore refers to raising the combined burden limit from EUR100 to EUR200.

The Ticket modérateur works differently from the deductible: it refers to the standard remaining amount after reimbursement by statutory health insurance. For a medical consultation, medication or medical transport, this share varies depending on the type of service. It is often covered by private supplementary insurance. A state-mandated reduction in reimbursement would therefore shift some costs from compulsory insurance to insurers and could indirectly lead to higher premiums for supplementary insurance.

Even now, certain groups are exempt from individual co-payments, including pregnant women from the sixth month of pregnancy, minors and recipients of certain social health benefits. Special reimbursement rules also apply to treatment for recognised serious chronic illnesses. However, deductibles generally remain separate from full coverage for long-term illnesses. The level of the annual cap is therefore particularly significant for patients requiring frequent treatment.

Politically, the initiative is sensitive because the government is reviving a measure that had already been discussed in 2025. Critics from patient associations and parts of the opposition see it as placing a greater burden on people who require regular treatment. The government, by contrast, points to funding pressure in the healthcare system and the need to safeguard investment in hospitals, medicine supply and access to medical treatment.

The decisive factor will now be the specific design through regulation or as part of the forthcoming social security financing framework. Only the final rules will make it possible to assess which services will be covered, how safeguards will be adjusted and what share of the intended savings will ultimately fall on insured persons or supplementary insurers.