French Hospital Federations Condemn 2026 Budget Tariff Freeze Amid Political Budget Deadlock

The French government has decided to freeze hospital tariffs for 2026, sparking significant concern from hospital federations who warn this will jeopardize access to care. The French Hospital Federation (FHF), Federation of Private Hospitals (FDHP), Unicancer, and FEHAP jointly denounced the decision, describing it as a "massive savings plan without acknowledgement." They highlighted that despite an increased National Health Insurance Spending Objective (Ondam) supported by an additional €850 million, the tariffs remain unchanged, signaling an implicit budget cut in the face of historic underfunding, inflation, and staffing pressures. Priority health areas such as oncology, cardiology, pediatrics, and major surgery are already affected, with funding for therapeutic innovation also reduced for the first time and psychiatry still inadequately financed despite being declared a national priority.

This financial challenge emerges amid a wider political impasse over the 2026 budget. After months of negotiations, a special law was adopted on December 23, 2025, to temporarily fund the state following budget disagreements. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu characterized the budget negotiation outcome as a "half-failure," emphasizing the difficulty in balancing political compromise and fiscal responsibility. Although Macron urged a faster budget adoption potentially through Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows adoption without a parliamentary vote, Lecornu hesitated to risk governmental responsibility due to threats of censure. Earlier agreements to forgo Article 49.3 were now under reconsideration because of deadlock, with left-wing parliamentarians opposing the current budget approach and unlikely to join the governing coalition before upcoming elections.

The special financing law carries significant financial implications, including the possible imposition of income tax on approximately 200,000 additional households due to failure to adjust tax scales for inflation. The stalemate threatens investments in key sectors and increases France’s national debt, contributing to political instability and eroding public trust. Hospital federations insist on a radical change for 2026, calling for at least a 1% rise in tariffs to preserve service levels and ensure care accessibility. This plea comes during a turbulent period in French politics marked by frequent dissolutions and fractious parliamentary debates over crucial social and economic policies.