Drivers are once again demanding the withdrawal of the convention with the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam) regarding medical transportation.
Just over a month after their last action, taxis are mobilizing again on Monday, March 4 throughout France. Blockades, processions, and slow-moving operations are planned in many cities including Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, Nîmes…
Once again, the main issue of contention is the withdrawal of the convention with the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam) regarding medical transportation. The mobilization is expected to be strong in the capital where unions are calling on drivers to gather in neighboring departments and then “converge towards Paris.”
“There will be at least 2,000 taxis. And they will all pass through the ring road, starting at 8 a.m.,” estimates Emmanuelle Cordier, president of the National Federation of Taxis, in Le Parisien.
“Alarm bell”
“On Monday, March 4, following various local initiatives, processions from Ile de France and the entire territory will converge in Paris, at the Trocadéro square, at the call of the FNAT and the FNDT, two of the main professional organizations. A minimum service is maintained to ensure medical appointments for patients,” reads a statement.
In Lyon, Toulouse, Nîmes… operations will also be organized and could lead to tollbooth blockages or major roadblocks. Once again, drivers are demanding a renegotiation of the patient transport remuneration conditions, as the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam) has presented a convention deemed unfavorable by unions, who were seeking a status quo.
The new proposed pricing is considered “unsustainable” by the profession, while forcing them to carpool patients. “Taxis, who have long continued to carry out their mission despite everything, are sounding the alarm. The fear is that the new pricing could force taxi companies to refuse pick-ups to protect the economic balance of their SMEs,” reads the statement.
Medical transportation represented reimbursements of nearly 5.5 billion euros in 2022, and 65 million trips were made in the year for taxis and light medical vehicles (VSL) alone, according to the authors of the bill. Nearly 15% of the trips are already shared.
The idea is to reduce the cost of trips for social security by €100 million per year between 2025 and 2027, as well as pollution.
Olivier Chicheportiche Journalist BFM Business
