This is an impressive figure, representative of "
whatever the cost
" in public health.
Asked about Radio Classique on Wednesday, the director general of the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) explained that France spent, every week, hundreds of millions of euros on antigenic tests and PCR to detect contaminations and contain the spread of Covid-19.
Read also: Covid: the Court of Auditors calls for cutting social security spending
More than two million tests are carried out each week in France, on average. “
The French have got into the habit of testing themselves,
” commented Thomas Fatôme. But that comes at a cost: an antigen test costs 25 euros, and a PCR test, "
all inclusive, just under 50 euros
". In total, the bill for the “
mix between the PCR and the antigen
” therefore amounts to “
approximately 100 and 120 million
” euros per week, for around two million tests carried out each week, the representative specified. .
For Thomas Fatôme, these expenses, certainly important, as well as vaccination, must however be seen as an “
investment
”, making it possible to limit the spread of the epidemic in France.
"
We had, it's true, significant test volumes, and a third wave
", increasing the toll of Covid-19 and its massive weight on the accounts of Social Security.
RT-PCR tests should remain free, at least for the moment, added the boss of the CNAM.
“
The principle is to continue to make this test easily accessible.
The principle of free access is fairly firmly established,
”he stressed.
France remains one of the few countries to guarantee that these tests are free in Europe.
It is, for the time being, "
a little early
" to estimate the Social Security deficit in 2021. The last forecast dates from the end of 2020, and, "
in the coming days
", a point should be made, a noted Thomas Fatôme. The deficit should remain "
very high
" this year: it will be "
a very important challenge for the coming years
".
