Health and healthcare: what's new in France in 2025

Doctors’ fees to rise again

The standard tariffs for several specialists is set to rise again in July, following a first round of rises in December, which also saw the basic fee for a GP visit rise to €30.

These further rises will include: paediatrician visits for babies up to two-year-olds, from €39 in December 2024 to €40 in July 2025; psychiatrists from €55 to €57; gynaecologists from €37 to €40; geriatric care specialists from €37 to €42.

The increase for psychiatrists (from €51.70 prior to the December 2024 increase, then in two steps up to €57) is part of an attempt to improve mental health that has also seen the Mon Soutien Psy scheme revamped.

It now covers up to 12 therapy sessions a year, reimbursed up to €50 per session.

Read more: GPs and specialists: List of new fees starting December 2024 in France

Mutuelles will rise

Most mutuelle top-up insurance policies increase their premiums in January, and rises of around 6-8% are predicted.

However, plans by the Barnier government to reduce the percentage of doctors’ consultations and medicines reimbursed by the state are not now likely to materialise.

In the most recent plans, doctor reimbursements were set to reduce from 70% to 65%, and medicines from 65% to 60%.

Read more: French top-up insurance to increase by 6% in 2025

Childhood checks

A small change to the obligatory childhood medical checks is being made: there will still be 20 in total from birth to age 16, but the obligatory visit between the third week and end of the first month is removed, and there will be a new one at age seven.

Carnet de santé booklets for children, which note key information, will also, from this year, be issued in a new format, including pages dedicated to the harmful effects of too much screen time.

Read more: Child health booklets in France will be updated to include risks of screen time

Better access to care across the nation

As last year, the government says it wants to see more new multi-disciplinary community health centres this year, as well as more innovations to “take healthcare out” to less well-served areas, such as using ‘medical buses’.

More funding for palliative care is promised so that all who need it can have access to specialist units. Better access to home help for those who require it due to age or disability is also promised.

This includes €100million for departmental councils to help home workers with transport and to encourage more partnership working.

Reimbursement for wheelchairs

Wheelchairs should be accessible to those who need them free of charge in 2025, it is planned.

Details of how the funding will work between the funding levels by the Assurance Maladie and top-up insurers, as well as whether there should be price caps on the models concerned, are being finalised.

Medical assistants

A target of 10,000 specially-trained medical assistants is an aim this year, in a scheme which began in 2019.

Many of these are former medical secretaries who have done extra training to take on certain routine medical tasks, such as taking blood pressure, as well as admin, to free up doctors further in areas where there are shortages.

Read more: How medical assistants are helping in areas that lack doctors in France

Digital carte Vitale

During the first months of the year it will become possible for French people to add their carte Vitale health card to the France Identité mobile phone app.

This is on top of the roll-out of a specific carte Vitale app, which has been tested in a quarter of departments, and is planned to be rolled out nationwide this year.

Read more: Carte Vitale: Plans for digital version to be integrated with French ID app

Medical cannabis

Cannabis for medical use is expected to become widely available on prescription this year.

Read more: Successful trial means medicinal cannabis set to be available in France

Painkiller prescriptions

Under new rules, prescriptions for certain strong painkillers, such as tramadol or codeine, must be in a ‘digital’ format (with a barcode), as of March, as a measure to reduce the risk of these being obtained fraudulently. This was due to start from December, but was pushed back as some pharmacies were not ready.

Read more: New date set for stricter painkiller prescription rules in France