The question of reimbursement or not of thermal cures recently came to the National Assembly, opposing two deputies from Aveyron, Jean-Louis Rousset and Laurent Alexandre.
In 2023, no less than 458,980 patients followed a treatment in one of the 88 spa resorts in France, an increase of 6.1% in one year. For its part, Aveyron has a renowned spa resort, in Cransac, in the Decazeville Basin, which also benefits from good attendance. A situation which could evolve, while the government and its majority seek to save money…
“Legitimize them” for Jean-François Rousset
Thus, as part of the future financing of Social Security, the deputy for the third constituency of Aveyron, Jean-François Rousset (Together for the Republic), proposed an amendment in the Social Affairs Committee, Thursday October 24, 2024. in order to condition the reimbursement of thermal cures on the existence of a medical benefit rendered (SMR) evaluated by the High Authority of Health on the basis of clinical studies.
According to the former surgeon, the amendment was not intended “not to call into question the reimbursement of thermal cures but rather to legitimize them. In this regard, the French Association for Thermal Research is already evaluating cures to demonstrate their effectiveness. This common sense amendment aims to identify the expenditure items and their legitimacy”, he then justified himself in committee, before the rejection of his amendment.
An unfounded proposition according to Laurent Alexandre
But this is not enough for the deputy for the second constituency, Laurent Alexandre (La France insoumise – NFP), who in a press release, Tuesday October 29, insisted on “firmly opposing this proposal which is first and foremost unfounded from a scientific point of view.
The former mayor of Aubin in the Decazeville Basin, taking up the argument already expressed in committee by the socialist deputy Boris Vallaud, thus evokes studies “carried out independently for twenty years, in close collaboration with Health Insurance, which did not wait for Mr. Rousset to work on the evaluation of the medical service provided by these establishments. According to these studies, it is more than 80% medical indications for spa treatment prescriptions which are of therapeutic interest.”
And the rebellious elected official from the west reprimands his Macronist colleague from South Aveyron, “the evaluation of its therapeutic benefits requires caution, the complete opposite of the method proposed by Mr. Rousset, which casts suspicion on the merits of hydrotherapy and ignores the collective work undertaken by an entire sector and the authorities competent for years. This amendment also risks being completely useless for public accounts, the question of reimbursement of thermal cures having never been seriously raised by Health Insurance.
And the deputy concluded, “despite its rejection in the Social Affairs Committee, Mr. Rousset maintains his amendment before the Chamber. I will remain vigilant so that it is rejected by the National Assembly.”
