Hospitals: towards price increases of 4% for public establishments

Hospital prices will increase in 2024 by 4.3% for public and private non-profit establishments and by 0.3% for those belonging to the for-profit private sector, Minister for Health Frédéric Valletoux said on Tuesday evening. “The 2024 budget provides 105.6 billion for health establishments, compared to 102.5 billion last year. About ten years ago we experienced decreasing prices, now they are increasing, with around 4.3% for public and private non-profit establishments and 0.3% for the private for-profit sector,” declared the Minister. in an interview published on the Échos website.

Asked about the difference between the two price increases, Frédéric Valletoux stressed that “the private sector has experienced strong dynamics 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 activity is strong and will logically support the financial results of private establishments. He recalls that “the private sector benefited from part of the exceptional aid of 500 million released at the start of the year by the government to support establishments with their cash flow needs”.

The ministry has also planned “specific support for segments to which we wish to give priority, whether general medicine, pediatrics, transplants, maternity or even palliative care”. The public and private hospital price list for 2024 should have been published on March 1. The exercise is delicate because the government voted for an increase in health insurance expenditure of 3.2% (social security financing law), largely insufficient to cover the price increases of around 10% including hospitals. public and private believe they need it.

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 reevaluate the prices of public hospitalization more strongly than those of private hospitalization. The Federation of Private Hospitalization had described this request as “offensive”, “in view of the essential role of the private hospital in the care of patients”.