Will it soon be impossible to perform a simple blood test easily? Medical biologists are threatening to strike on November 7, 8 and 9 to protest against the Social Security finance bill (PLFSS). This plans to puncture “at least 250 million euros” in 2023, then a certain amount in the following years, if an “agreement presenting significant savings” is not reached before February 1.
Before that, many laboratories will no longer send Covid test results – essentially PCR – to the SI-DEP database from this Thursday. “We are blinding Public Health France and Health Insurance”, assumes François Blanchecotte, head of the union of biologists. The monitoring of the epidemic will obviously be disrupted. For its part, the government assumes to target a sector whose turnover exploded during the Covid crisis. We take stock.
Why are medical biologists angry?
The subject of the dispute is found in article 27 of the PLFSS, currently being examined in Parliament (the government activated article 49.3 to have it adopted automatically by the National Assembly on Wednesday evening). “In the absence of an agreement signed before February 1, 2023 providing for reductions in the prices of medical biology procedures not linked to the management of the health crisis likely to generate savings from 2023 of at least 250 million euros , the ministers responsible for health and social security set these price reductions by decree, ”we can read.
Medical biologists refuse such a “plane stroke of 250 million euros per year until 2026”, and they propose to limit it to 2023. “Due to the increase in turnover linked to Covid, we We have proposed, for the discussion of the text in the Senate, a single amendment providing for 250 million euros in 2023”, develops François Blanchecotte. “Agreed for an exceptional contribution, but not for a totally blind plane,” justified Alain Le Meur, president of the Alliance for Medical Biology.
In a press release published this Thursday afternoon, Health Insurance confirms that a “first target reduction of 250 million euros is planned for 2023”. At the same time, it assures that “the quantum of savings that could be applied [après 2023] has not yet been discussed with the representatives” and said that it had “not offered to make 250 million euros in additional cuts in 2024 and 2025”.
How does the government respond?
For several days, the government has regularly highlighted the very rich activity of the medical biology sector since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, pointed to the Senate on Tuesday “an already high profitability before the crisis” then accentuated by more than 7 billion “in turnover linked to tests” in two years.
“I assume to ask for effort from those who can make it. (…) In sectors which have had a certain number of benefits this year, a contribution must be made”, hammered home this Thursday morning Gabriel Attal on Franceinfo, while recognizing “the chance to have medical biologists who are very involved in our country.
Incidentally, the former government spokesperson considered that cutting off the SI-DEP tap was “unacceptable”. “Taking the monitoring of the Covid-19 epidemic thus hostage is unacceptable in view of the health context and the public health issues”, added for his part the boss of Health Insurance, Thomas Fatôme.
An inevitable strike?
The first step in the discontent of biologists was to withdraw from the “Ségur du numérique”. The second, at least until Tuesday, therefore consists of no longer “uploading” the results of the Covid tests in the SI-DEP database. Patients will always receive them “within the classic deadlines”, guarantees François Blanchecotte, but the biologists deprive themselves of reimbursements by Health Insurance – around 14 million euros per week. With one exception: those working in hospitals have dissociated themselves from this movement and “do not call for the blocking of the transmission of data from Covid-19 tests”.
And then ? If the decision to strike on November 7, 8 and 9 has not yet been taken, it is “very committed”, warns François Blanchecotte. “What is in preparation is a closure of all labs for three days, except for samples from hospitals and clinics. This means: no more samples in nursing homes and no more check-ups at home or in labs, with a risk of ultimately blowing up hospital emergencies, ”develops a biologist in central France. A way, too, to put pressure on the government.
“Urgently, reopen the dialogue! », insists Alain Le Meur. Health Insurance claims to want to “continue the dialogue with biologists, but this assumes that the representatives of the sector adopt a responsible attitude and guarantee both the continuity of care and the accomplishment of their missions in the service of public health”.
If the closure of the labs is decided, “our employees will be paid and will be able to work”, in particular for administrative tasks, indicates François Blanchecotte. The employees themselves, in certain places such as Rennes or Puy-de-Dôme, went on strike for several days recently to… ask for wage increases.