Patient package of € 19.61: what will change in the emergency room on January 1, 2022

First, let’s clear up a misunderstanding. No, being treated in a hospital emergency room has never been free! Admittedly, there were exceptions but, as a general rule, the reception of the patient and the medical acts were always invoiced. Today the establishment on 1^er January 2022 of a new package (the FPU) for any passage in an emergency department without hospitalization in the wake of this defeats a preconceived idea. The measure intrigues and questions. Point.

1 – What is the emergency patient package (FPU)?

The Social Security financing law is accompanied by a reform of the patient’s participation in the costs incurred during his care in the emergency room. The emergency patient package (FPU) amounts to € 19.61, with a reduced rate of € 8.49 for certain insured persons and rare exemptions. It replaces the current “emergency reception and treatment” package (ATU, € 25.28) and the possible co-payment for treatment and examinations. Which are sometimes expensive. The FPU aims “to reduce the inequalities observed today by setting a single contribution amount” and “avoids the significant out-of-pocket expenses borne by certain patients”, notes the National Assembly. The FPU will be reimbursed by complementary health insurance and state medical aid. According to the deputy of Charente Thomas Mesnier (LREM), general rapporteur of the committee on social affairs, the FPU will simplify the administrative procedures: “At present, only 30% of the remainder payable by emergency passages go to the cash registers. hospitals, so billing is difficult to do. Caregivers have more important tasks than coding well on a computer! “

2 – Why is there so much debate?

Because he was the subject of contests in Parliament. Because it introduces “the idea that people would go to the emergency room for no reason, only because of their [prétendue] free, ”noted Communist Senator Laurence Cohen. FPU provisions also displeased the France Assos Santé collective, which demanded that pregnant women and patients with long-term illnesses (ALD) be exempt and not eligible for the simple reduced rate. He only partially succeeded. Only “pregnant women from the 6^e months and infants under one month will be exempt […]. ALD patients and war invalids will benefit from a reduced package, ”said a note from the Prime Minister’s services (August 27, 2021).

3 – Will it really be necessary to “go to the cash register”?

Will the FPU have to be settled on the spot, before leaving the hospital, as the Huffingtonpost understands and many media repeat? “No, this is a hasty interpretation. There was never any question of creating treasuries in hospitals, whose staff have many other priorities! It will suffice to present your vital card and your mutual insurance card, ”replies Thomas Mesnier. The MP recognizes, however, that the measure, which he describes as “techno”, has undoubtedly been poorly explained. For the vast majority of patients, it will not change much, as the Que Choisir association underlined in 2020. It would nevertheless deserve a little teaching. There is no simple, up-to-date reference document on service-public.fr.