Expenditure on primary care mainly comprises medical and paramedical fees, healthcare products (drugs and medical devices), daily allowances, laboratory services and medical transport. These amounted to €107.6 billion in 2022, making them the largest area of health insurance expenditure, ahead of hospitals (€98.4 billion). The estimated annual budget for this expenditure was regularly exceeded, even before the health crisis. In 2022, the overrun reached €5.1 billion. This situation is due to the virtual absence, in this sector, of mechanisms for controlling expenditure on an infra-annual basis, comparable to those implemented for hospitals. In particular, the price-volume regulation in force for medical laboratory procedures does not exist for other healthcare sectors.
