The government plans to no longer reimburse work stoppages issued by teleconsultation when they are not prescribed by the attending physician, announced the minister in charge of public accounts, Gabriel Attal, in an interview at Sunday newspaper (JDD) of September 25.
“These judgments delivered by video by a doctor who is not the attending physician will no longer be reimbursed by Social Security”said the minister, lifting the veil on one of the measures of the draft social security budget which will be made public on Monday.
Mr. Attal justifies this delisting by the need “to prevent some people from chaining online consultations until they find [le médecin] who would like to issue them with sick leave?. According to him, “we have seen an explosion of sick leave given, by teleconsultation, by a professional who is not the attending physician” for an amount of “nearly 100 million euros last year”.
“Little suspense” on the use of 49.3
More generally in his interview with JDD, Gabriel Attal insists on the fight against social fraud, a nod to the Republican (LR) deputies whose vote could be valuable during the examination of the State and Social Security budgets in Parliament. The minister promises to “strengthen the powers of cyberinvestigators from the Social Security funds” who can “identify a professional who declares only a salaried activity but offers his services as a freelancer on Leboncoin without declaring them”.
“Fraudsters will no longer only be fined, but will also have to pay their application fees, because the French are tired of paying for them”, adds the minister. Regarding the pension reform, the decision to amend the Social Security budget will be ” slice[e] by the President and the Prime Minister”but Mr. Attal said it again: “We will reform, our plan is in deficit. »
On the protection of forests, the minister says he has heard the demands. In the JDD, in particular, he announces exceptional aid of one million euros to help in the fight against bark beetles, insects responsible for the death of many trees. An amendment will also be presented to suspend the job cuts at the National Forestry Office.
If the minister points out “useful exchanges” with the opposition before the presentation of the Social Security budget, he does not rule out recourse to 49.3 to have the text adopted without a vote. “For reasons of principle, of political symbol, [les oppositions] do not plan to vote on the budget”says Mr. Attal, adding that “political symbols do not[avaient] never filled the fridge”. Therefore, “it leaves little suspense on the outcome, since we have a relative majority” and “France cannot do without having a budget”says the former government spokesman.