After spending two days in Lyon, forty taxis from Haute-Loire demonstrated this Wednesday in Puy-en-Velay, in front of the CPAM, the prefecture and the Emile-Roux hospital.
Taxis are contesting the proposed new agreement planned for 2025. In order to save money, the CNAM is proposing to reduce the price of certain medical journeys. “Medical transport represents 90% of our turnover in rural areas,” defends Eric Tavernier, president of the union of taxi artisans (SAT).
What the future convention provides
This agreement aims to regulate the medical transport of patients to hospitals for follow-up care (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, dialysis, etc.) or simply consultations in an already highly regulated profession. “The outward journey would be charged, not the return, which would be for our apple. And they no longer want to pay for our waiting time, which is often two hours. Since 2008, we have been making discounts. They want to save even more They will create unemployment because our businesses will not hold up.”
Johane Bonnet, taxi in Fay-sur-Lignon, protests. “It’s a lack of understanding of the reality on the ground. They want to save money on transport when it only represents 3% of the Social Security budget.”
The program of the event
This Wednesday, the taxis left at 6:30 a.m. from the heavy goods vehicle parking lot in Aiguilhe. They joined in a convoy the Social Security district where they blocked the street, distributing leaflets and signing petitions.
A delegation was to be received at 10 a.m. at the CPAM. After this interview, the taxis will demonstrate in front of the prefecture then at the Emile-Roux hospital before certainly returning to the Social Security building around 2:30 p.m. for another one-day action.
