The rates of mutual, insurance and other complementary health will jump by more than 7% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to the consumer association UFC-Que Choisir, which alerts this Wednesday. Like every year, the consumer association UFC-Que Choisir conducted its survey on the prices of complementary health products. The observation on individual contracts is instructive: “Contributions are soaring”, according to her.
On the basis of “594 contracts relating to 128 organizations”, the study concludes with “a median increase of 7.1%” or “126 euros over the year”. In one out of five cases, the increase even exceeds 240 euros. According to the association, these amounts are described as a “blow on the purchasing power of consumers”, while “inflation is reaching peaks” and stood at 5.2% last year.
In detail, the upward trend appears more marked among insurers (+9%) and provident institutions (+8.8%) than among mutuals (+6.9%). Nevertheless, this last figure is however significantly higher than the 4.7% announced by the French Mutuality in early January for the same individual contracts, based on data provided by 35 organizations covering 18 million policyholders. However, Bercy in September had assured that the increase in prices would be lower than inflation.
This is why the UFC Que Choisir denounces, between rhetoric and reality, the “lack of clarity” of complementary health insurance. Some omitting in particular “to mention the price increase in euros or in percentage”, as well as the “organization management costs”, which represent on average 20% of the contributions paid.
To remedy this, the association “calls on the government to impose more transparency” so that consumers can “compare offers and compete through termination at any time” which came into force at the end of 2020.