Mutuelle fees set to increase in France next year: see by how much

Costs for top-up health insurance policies in France are set to rise next year as increased costs for an aging population and higher taxes on mutuelles are passed on to policy holders.

Increases of 4.7% for collective contracts (often offered by companies for employees or larger groups of people) and 4.3% for individual contracts are expected in 2026. This follows an average increase of 6% in 2025.

The Fédération nationale de la Mutualité française (FNMF) estimates that policies have risen 4.4% on average each year since 2020, leading to at least a 20% increase in costs since the Covid-19 outbreak for most policyholders.

For comparison prices rose an average 1.8% per year between 2013 - 2020. 

Mutuelles to pay €2 billion more to state next year

The increased costs are largely due to measures included in the 2026 budget, including a new tax on mutuelle providers and increased healthcare spending.

MPs definitively adopted the social security budget on December 16.

The tax, dubbed as a ‘VAT on healthcare’ by the FNMF is expected to raise some €1 billion. A further €1 billion expected in cost transfers from the government to mutuelles, for example a lower reimbursement rate by the state will lead to higher reimbursement payments from mutuelles.

These increased costs may be partly absorbed by mutuelle companies, but the majority of the tax will be passed onto companies and individuals in the form of increased premium prices.

Currently, ‘contrats responsables’ – making up around 98% of mutuelle policies, have a tax rate of 13.27%, but this tax will rise to 16.2%, said FNMF head Éric Chenut, making it a ‘European anomaly’.

“This Social Security Financing Bill does not solve our country's problems,” Mr Chenut said in an interview with media outlet RTL, arguing the higher tax bill was “a quick solution” but did not tackle the heart of the issue.