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Employee healthcare: rising reimbursements, changing expectations. Are you ready?
Between medical inflation, the rise of alternative medicine and new consumer habits, employee healthcare spending is changing... and you have a key role to play.
Gerep shares the exclusive results of its 2024 health barometer, based on 150,000 beneficiaries. A wealth of information to help you anticipate, adjust and enhance your health cover.
Something to keep in mind: insurers had anticipated medical inflation of around 7% for 2024. In reality, we're seeing an increase of 3.82%. This discrepancy shows the extent to which market uncertainty is being billed "cash" to companies, often through preventive premium increases.
It's against this backdrop that Gerep's role takes on its full meaning: putting data at the service of strategic management. As a broker and administrator, we help you regain control of your contracts, by providing you with rigorous medium-term management, a fine-tuned reading of trends, and the negotiating strength you need to defend your interests.
3.82% increase in reimbursements in 2024: what's behind this figure?
You may have felt the pressure on your healthcare contracts. The reason? A 3.82% rise in reimbursements over the year. This is a higher rate than in 2023 (+3.5%), and can be explained by one major phenomenon: the cost of each item of treatment is rising.
Focus:
- Compulsory plans: +3.78
- Optional plans: +4.30%
- Average cost of treatment: +2.7%.
Why the increase? 3 major reasons
- "Calendar" effect: in 2024, some months saw higher consumption than in 2023, notably April, July and October, which are usually quieter months.
- Prevention and alternative medicine: demand for wellness treatments (psychologists, osteopaths, etc.) continues to grow. This development confirms a fundamental trend: your employees want more wellness cover... and they're taking action! Employees expect benefits geared towards prevention, mental health and overall well-being. A fantastic opportunity to strengthen your employer brand.
- Use of wellness package (nutritionist, osteopath...): +3.5%.
- Psychological care (psychologist, psychotherapist, etc.): +13%.
- Medical auxiliaries (e.g. physiotherapists): +8.9% sales
- Regulatory changes: the French social security system has revised its reimbursement bases, resulting in higher costs for certain items such as consultations (+5.4%) and pharmacy.
Did you know?
- Dentistry: strong growth (+15.8%). The good news is that 100% healthcare is working well for dental prostheses, reducing out-of-pocket expenses for employees.
- Hospitalization: sharp rise in children (+15.1%).
- Consultations & pharmacy: average cost up by 6 to 7%, due to higher Social Security reimbursements.
Did you know?
Why is this important to you, HR?
As a partner in your social protection policy, we analyze these trends to help you make the best decisions for your employees. Here's how these data can guide you:
- Fine-tuning your cover: thanks to these indicators, we can help you adjust your cover, particularly for optional plans, which are currently in high demand for routine care and hospitalization.
- Meeting expectations in terms of well-being: the boom in preventive care (psychologists, osteopaths, etc.) reflects employees' strong desire for well-being solutions. We can help you make the most of these guarantees and turn them into a lever for HR attractiveness.
- Controlling financial balances: understanding the mechanisms behind expenditure trends enables you to anticipate the impact on your budgets and ensure the long-term viability of your group schemes, without cutting back on the quality of benefits.
What levers can be used to contain healthcare spending?
In the face of rising costs, there are practical solutions for optimizing expenditure without reducing the quality of coverage. We can help you implement these levers:
- Healthcare networks: by referring employees to partner professionals, they benefit from negotiated rates, reducing their out-of-pocket expenses... and the necessary reimbursements.
- 100% health 100% health care: By promoting 100% coverage, employees avoid out-of-pocket expenses and the company limits the risk of misuse.
- Raising employee awareness: a better understanding of benefits and the right reflexes (e.g. choosing a DPTAM doctor, comparing quotes, etc.) can also make a difference.
- Indicator tracking: we help you to regularly monitor consumption trends, so you can anticipate any adjustments you need to make.
Highlights from our 2024 health barometer
- Healthcare is more expensive, not because employees are going to the doctor more, but because each treatment is more expensive.
- Employees are investing more in their well-being, and companies have a role to play in supporting this development through their range of services and guarantees.
- 100% healthcare remains an effective solution for certain positions, and should be promoted in your HR communications.
- In a context of rate uncertainty, medium-term management remains a strategic lever for maintaining control of your contracts and defending the interests of your employees over the long term.
Need a personalized decryption? Our experts are here to help you build, adjust and defend a healthcare strategy in line with your HR objectives.
Article écrit par
Margaux Vieillard-Baron
Damien Vieillard-Baron
Margaux Vieillard-Baron
Amadou Kasse
Estelle Baldereschi