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A reform introducing an increase in the remuneration of pharmacists will come into effect next year. The score is likely to be salty for people whose mutual does not already support all drugs.
For some patients, the move to the pharmacy looks more painful next year. A reform introducing a gradual increase in the fees of pharmacists will indeed come into effect as of January 1, 2019. These fees are supposed to allow them to cope with the decline in their margin due to the decrease in the price of refundable drugs wanted by the government . But they may impact the patients at the end of the chain.
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To understand, we have to go back three years. In 2015, a reform changes the remuneration of pharmacists by introducing a dispensing fee (€ 1.02 for each reimbursable medication box +51 cents in the case of a prescription containing at least 5 different reimbursable medicines). Its effect is painless for the patient because it is supported at about 70% by the Health Insurance and 30% by the mutuals. "The government wants to control industrial prices. He wants to lower the prices of older medicines to allow the arrival of more innovative and more expensive drugs. This policy results in lower margins. The fees allow to limit the impact for pharmacies ", explains the Figaro Philippe Gaertner, President of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Trade Unions of France (FSPF). "Today, our compensation consists of approximately 50% dispensing fees and 50% margin. This allows us to be less dependent on the price of the drug, "he adds.
Fee increase
According to the Union of Community Pharmacists (USPO), the margin of pharmacies showed a decrease of 30 million euros in the first nine months of the year. And the trend should continue in the following years. The reform therefore plans to introduce three new fees in 2019 and to increase them in 2020 so that at this time, the remuneration of pharmacists is 75% fee and 25% margin. So will be set up next year a fee to the order of 50 cents to which can be added a fee of 2 euros for specific drugs (anxiolytics, hypnotics …) and a fee of 50 cents linked to the age of sick (under 3 years and over 70 years). These last two fees will go respectively to 3.5 euros and 1.55 euros in 2020.
The problem of this reform is the drugs supported by 15% or 30% by the Secu, such as Spasfon for example. According to the FSPF, "the supplements that do not support these drugs have decided not to support their share of dispensing fees when these drugs appear on the order," denounces Philippe Gaertner. In other words, the 30% of the fees of the pharmacist that the mutual had to pay will remain the responsibility of the patients. "These patients will see their remaining dependents increase next year with the increase in the fees provided by the reform. It is all the more scandalous that the mutual benefit from the general price decline on other drugs, "denounces the federation. Contacted by Le Figarothe federation of mutuals was not available to answer this morning.
Ironically, to avoid having to pay a larger overpayment, these patients would benefit from not asking to be reimbursed, so as to pay only for their drug at its base price and not the price plus the drug. pharmacist's honor. "But the sick will not do it. This would require that they know the basic prices of drugs on their prescription, they check their reimbursement rate by the Secu and they know if their mutual supports them. It will not happen. In the end, they will give their vital card to the pharmacist and they will pay, "laments Philippe Gaertner.
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