Faced with a Social Security deficit estimated at nearly 14 billion euros in 2026, Health Insurance is putting forward 40 proposals to achieve 4 billion euros in savings from 2027. Among the avenues mentioned are a compulsory Nutri-Score, a tobacco-free generation and compulsory bicycle helmets for adults.
As health spending continues to increase, Health Insurance is focusing on prevention, better control of medical prescriptions and an evolution of certain professional practices to limit long-term costs.
Prevention: Mandatory Nutri-Score and a tobacco-free generation in the sights
To limit the development of chronic diseases, which projections indicate could affect one in two French people within ten years, Health Insurance wants to strengthen prevention actions.
First proposal: make the Nutri-Score mandatory in order to improve consumers’ diets.
Another significant measure: establishing a tobacco-free generation by banning the sale of tobacco to people born after 2009, who are now 17 years old or younger. A measure inspired by the British model.
Thomas Fatôme, director general of the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam), believes that this measure would make it possible to initiate a public debate on the consequences of smoking. He recalls that tobacco is the cause of 60,000 deaths per year and emphasizes that France still has more smokers than some of its European neighbors.
According to him, preventing young people from starting to smoke would, in the long term, reduce the number of lung cancers and other tobacco-related diseases.
Better prescribing medications to limit expenses
Health Insurance also wants to act on expenses related to medicines, which have increased significantly in recent years.
She points out that ten years ago, a single reimbursed medication cost more than 80,000 euros, compared to 25 today. For certain very expensive treatments, particularly against cancer, studies are currently being carried out to move towards a de-escalation of prescriptions where possible.
The objective is twofold: to prescribe less when it is relevant and to prescribe better. Health Insurance notably points out that 60% of nursing home residents take medications considered inappropriate.
Physiotherapists, fraud and bicycle helmets: other ways to save money
Among the other proposals is a reflection on the remuneration of physiotherapists. According to Thomas Fatôme, the current method of remuneration favors a “race to the act”, with significant disparities between professionals, some carrying out twice as many sessions as others for the same pathology.
Health Insurance would like to open a consultation with the profession in order to study several avenues, such as flat-rate remuneration or decreasing rates after a certain number of sessions.
The report also proposes continuing the fight against fraud, while more than 700 million euros have been recovered in 2025.
Finally, faced with the increase in work stoppages, Health Insurance draws attention to bicycle and scooter accidents. Their number has doubled in seven years, which has led the organization to propose making the wearing of helmets compulsory for adults.