The Social Affairs Committee examines tomorrow morning, Wednesday January 22, at second reading, the bill “aimed at improving the care management and devices specific to the treatment of cancer be you by health insurance”. This text, submitted by the communist deputies in April 2024, had been adopted by the National Assembly unanimously, on first reading, on May 30, 2024, a few days before the dissolution pronounced by the President of the Republic.
Since then, the bill has lost its rapporteur, since the national secretary of the PCF, Fabien Roussel, was not re-elected as a deputy during the early legislative elections last summer. It is therefore another elected communist, Yannick Monnet (Democratic and Republican Left)who will be responsible for carrying the text. In the meantime, the senators also adopted the bill unanimously on October 30, 2024, while substantially modifying it.
Cost of “out-of-pocket expenses” for patients
According to Public Health France, 61,000 women are diagnosed of breast cancer each year and this disease is responsible for 12,000 deaths per year. “Among women under 40 with breast cancer, more than half (52%) (…) are worried about their budget“indicates the explanatory statement of the proposed law.
This financial burden would result “remaining dependent on access to certain professionals or to care improperly called ‘comfort’, but in reality essential“. Initially, the text therefore proposed to exempt breast cancer patients from flat-rate contributions, medical deductibles and hospital packages. He also offered to take full charge of all care and arrangements, “including supportive care and prosthetics“.
A system refocused by senators
But the senators chose to restrict the deviceplanning “comprehensive support for fees deemed specific to breast cancer“, such as medical tattooing of the areola and nipple, renewal of breast prostheses, or even the purchase of underwear suitable for wearing a removable breast prosthesis.
-The objective being to respect the constitutional principle of equalityin order not to allow, for example, full reimbursement of wigs only for patients with breast cancer, while patients with other cancers would not benefit from it. Likewise, the exemption from the payment of medical deductibles and fixed contributions due to consultations was removed from the text by the senators.
Accessories, creams and cosmetics could, however, be covered as part of a specific package. Moreover, certain supportive care such as adapted physical activity, nutritional monitoring or psychological monitoring could “be the subject of reinforced support” as part of a package whose amount remains to be defined.
After its examination in committee this Wednesday, January 22, the bill will be on the agenda of the hemicycle next TuesdayJanuary 28.
