Teleconsultations: towards an extension of full reimbursement until summer 2022?

The health crisis continues, so does the Social Security aid. The government adopted several amendments to its bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass, in particular to extend the reimbursement to 100% of teleconsultations by the Health Insurance, in force since March 2020, as well as the “funding guarantee” for hospitals and clinics. Full support for medical teleconsultations, which was due to end on December 31, 2021, should therefore be extended until a date set by decree, “no later than July 31, 2022”, according to the amendment tabled by l executive and voted without debate on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, by the law committee of the National Assembly.

A measure defended by Olivier Véran, the Minister of Solidarity and Health, because it “has shown its effectiveness”: the number of teleconsultations had indeed increased from 10,000 to one million per week at the start of the epidemic, “notably thanks to to this 100% support which makes it simple, “said the minister, before the law committee of the National Assembly, on Wednesday.

In the same vein, via a second amendment, the government intends to perpetuate “until June 30, 2022” the “funding guarantee for public and private health establishments”, also introduced in March 2020 and which expired on December 31 . “It is a very strong expectation of all the establishments”, justified Olivier Véran, anxious to them “to avoid any rupture of cash (…) at a time when we ask for deprogramming of care”.

Ditto for liberal doctors practicing in private clinics and hospitals “and affected by the repetition of deprogramming”: the “exceptional support system” created to compensate for their loss of activity in the second half of 2021 must be renewed “until the 30th. June 2022 “. This is provided for in another government amendment, also adopted by the National Assembly’s Law Commission. “At a time when we ask them to come and lend a hand and to be fully mobilized in the fight against Covid, they must not have any loss of income,” explained the Minister of Solidarity and health.

The bill must now be examined in public session by the National Assembly, from Monday January 3, then pass the test of the Senate.