French medicine reimbursements rose by 6.2% over the 12 months to the end of March 2026, running ahead of the growth path set for national health insurance expenditure in 2026. The final Social Security Financing Law for 2026 set the national health insurance spending objective at €274.4 billion, an increase of 3.1% compared with 2025.
National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) published Remboursements de soins à fin mars 2026 (Care reimbursements to the end of March 2026) on 28 April 2026. The release is part of its regular monthly reporting on reimbursed health expenditure.
The data show that medicine reimbursements increased by 5.7% in March 2026 compared with March 2025. Over 12 months, the increase reached 6.2%. Community medicines excluding dispensing fees rose by 6.4% in March and by 7.0% over one year.
Hospital retrocession – medicines dispensed by hospitals for use outside hospital care – grew more slowly. Reimbursements in this category rose by 2.3% in March 2026 compared with March 2025 and by 4.1% over 12 months.
The wider expenditure picture also shows pressure across care categories. Care reimbursements under the general scheme rose by 4.6% over 12 months, while overall expenditure including lump-sum payments increased by 5.2%.
The monthly reimbursement series is not the same as the net base used for all statutory product-spending controls. It therefore does not show, on its own, whether the 2026 medicine safeguard threshold will be exceeded. It does, however, place medicines among the faster-growing components of reimbursed care early in the year. If the trend continues, it will reinforce the policy case for price reductions, rebate collection, safeguard contributions, generic and biosimilar substitution, and tighter management of reimbursed volumes.
Source: National Health Insurance, Assurance Maladie
Link: Remboursements de soins à fin mars 2026 (Care reimbursements to the end of March 2026)
Date: 28 April 2026
