In a interview with EchoesWednesday March 27the Minister for Health, Frédéric Valletoux, announces that the prices paid by Social Security for procedures carried out in public hospitals will increase in 2024 by 4.3% and by 0.3% for private establishments.
These price increases allow “to finance salary increases and bonuses, for caregivers who are on call, for example”, explained Mr. Valletoux. Asked about this difference between public and private, the elected official from Seine-et-Marne explains in this interview that “the private sector has experienced strong momentum in recent years”.
“This explains why its prices increase less quickly because the regulation of prices also depends on the volumes of activity. The growth in private sector activity is strong and will logically support the financial results of private establishments”he continues, recalling that the private sector “benefited from part of the exceptional aid of 500 million released at the start of the year”.
“Specific support” for medicine or pediatrics
While some health establishments “have not regained pre-Covid activity in all business segments”according to Mr. Valletoux, he affirms that a “specific support” is intended for sectors “to which we wish to give priority, whether it be medicine, pediatrics, transplants, maternity, or even palliative care”.
The public and private hospital price list for 2024 should have been published on 1er March. The exercise is delicate because the government has adopted an increase in Health Insurance expenditure of 3.2% within the framework of the Social Security financing law, largely insufficient to cover price increases of around 10 % that public and private hospitals estimate they need.
Last week, the united front between public hospitals and private hospitals broke down. The Conference of University Hospitals (public university hospitals) had asked the government to reassess the prices of public hospitalization more strongly than those of private hospitalization. The Federation of Private Hospitalization had described“offensive” this application, “with regard to the essential role of the private hospital in the care of patients”.