Health. "We need to stop thinking that health insurance is 'free, I'm entitled to it,'" says Vautrin.

Medical deductibles, long-term illnesses, sick leave... In an interview with Le Monde published this Saturday morning, the Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, Catherine Vautrin , details the cost-cutting measures to curb healthcare spending next year. The Prime Minister requested in mid-July that healthcare spending be curbed by "around" five billion euros next year, notably calling for an effort to make the French people "responsible."

Catherine Vautrin points out that François Bayrou notably announced "the doubling of the ceiling on medical deductibles" to 100 euros per year (i.e. the amounts not reimbursed to the patient, set at 1 euro per box of medication). Emphasizing that "we must stop with this idea that health insurance is 'free, I'm entitled to it'", she specifies that there will be a ceiling set "at a maximum of 8 euros per month", and reaffirms that these deductibles will be paid "over the counter".

Regarding long-term illnesses (ALD), also cited by François Bayrou among the cost-cutting measures, the minister indicated that the first step would be to "facilitate the exit from this regime, when the doctor declares that you are fully cured of a stroke or cancer, for example." She added that the government intends to "question the maintenance of 100% reimbursement of spa treatments and medications whose medical benefit is low for patients with ALD."

On another sensitive issue, which François Bayrou calls "a slip-up," that of sick leave, the minister explains that transferring the cost of sick leave, up to the seventh day, to the employer is an option "under consideration" and "must be discussed with social partners." "In this scenario, companies would be required to take over this additional waiting period, from the fourth to the seventh day," she says.

Ms. Vautrin also indicated that the government intends to "put an end to abuses" and wishes to "limit any initial sick leave to 15 days in general practice," and to "one month upon discharge from hospital," the idea being to have "a more regular reassessment of situations."

In terms of prevention, the minister noted that "85% of nursing home residents are now vaccinated against the flu," estimating that "at least ten additional vaccination rates" remain to be achieved. "To achieve this, I would like vaccination to become mandatory for elderly people in institutions," she said.

Finally, she points to "medical nomadism," believing that seeking a second opinion "is completely understandable after the diagnosis of a pathology," but that "this is not the case for a 3rd, 4th, or 5th identical consultation with other practitioners. We must limit their coverage," she says.