In 2025, a discreet but significant change transformed communication between the French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) and its policyholders. Since September, every French Social Security beneficiary has received an email after each medical consultation, medication dispensing, or reimbursed treatment. This initiative aims to increase transparency in healthcare spending, but also to strengthen collective vigilance in the face of a system whose funding is being questioned. More than just administrative information, these electronic messages are a new step in raising awareness of the real cost of healthcare in a country where the solidarity model remains committed, but under constant pressure.
In a context where healthcare-related spending has largely exceeded €250 billion in a single year, this initiative aims to remind everyone that behind every medical procedure or prescribed medication, it is a collective effort that ensures care. Between empowering policyholders, combating fraud, and preserving resources, the new method of communication from the French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) calls into question our relationship with healthcare. Furthermore, this measure unites major players such as Ameli, Mutuelle Générale, Groupama, Harmonie Mutuelle, MGEN, Macif, AG2R La Mondiale, April, and Malakoff Humanis around key issues, all of which play a complementary role in supporting policyholders.
How Health Insurance Uses Email to Raise Awareness of the Real Cost of Care
Since the end of September, the French National Health Insurance (Assurance Maladie) has implemented a unique system: the systematic sending of an electronic message to each insured person informing them that a healthcare expense has been incurred and reimbursed in their name. This notification occurs within approximately ten days of the consultation or purchase of medication, and concerns all types of care covered, whether it be a visit to the general practitioner, a physiotherapy session, or a hospitalization.
This new initiative addresses several fundamental issues. First, it breaks a form of opacity that has been tacit until now. The third-party payment system, widely deployed in France, often eliminates the feeling of upfront costs, which can create the illusion that medical procedures are free. However, as Marc Scholler, CFO of the CNAM, points out, “healthcare has no price, but it does have a cost.” With these emails, each insured person is invited to become aware of the collective expenses behind each medical procedure, accompanied by an incentive to consult their personal space on Ameli for detailed tracking.
This transparency initiative is part of a context where healthcare represents more than a quarter of all public spending, a burden that continues to grow. In 2024, the allocated budget will have exceeded €250 billion. The mobilization around better information thus aims to empower the French, including beneficiaries of mutual insurance companies such as Mutuelle Générale or Harmonie Mutuelle, which often supplement basic health care, as well as complementary partners such as Groupama and MGEN.
Furthermore, this form of communication helps build trust in the system. By receiving a transparent email, each insured person can verify that reimbursements correspond to their care by consulting their personal Ameli account, thus preventing passive expense management. Such individual involvement, combined with the vigilance of major players such as Malakoff Humanis, April, and AG2R La Mondiale, actively contributes to better collective control of healthcare costs.
Fighting medical fraud: email as a new lever for citizen control
Beyond raising awareness, one of the major objectives of systematically sending emails is to prevent fraud in the healthcare system. Indeed, fraud represents a serious and costly issue that threatens the sustainability of Social Security. The amounts involved are considerable: in 2024, more than €628 million were detected and blocked using existing systems.
This fraud takes various forms. According to figures from the French Health Insurance Fund, 52% is committed by policyholders, while 27% involves healthcare professionals. While professional fraudsters account for a larger share, cases of policyholders overcharging or declaring unprovided care also contribute to the overall increase in spending.
The email received after each reimbursement acts as an instant digital receipt. If a policyholder receives a message informing them of a reimbursement they don’t recognize, they are encouraged to respond quickly. This direct monitoring prevents costly missteps and strengthens the active role of policyholders in mutual fund management. Thanks to the Ameli platform and its mobile interface, reporting an anomaly is simple, quick, and accessible to all. Ameli’s chatbot facilitates the process by guiding the user to “report a suspicious reimbursement” via a customized form.
By increasing the number of vigilance points, particularly through regular individual information, the French Health Insurance system hopes to significantly reduce fraud and involve citizens in more participatory governance. Supplemental insurance companies, such as Macif and April, fully embrace this transparency strategy, which also helps contain the costs of their own services. This clearly illustrates the partnership between public and private stakeholders for the benefit of safer and more sustainable healthcare. The Social Security Deficit in 2025: A Challenge That Requires Transparency and Accountability
The financial situation of Social Security remains worrying despite the efforts made. In 2024, the deficit reached a historic high of €13.8 billion, highlighting the importance of more rigorous spending control. Since September, the message sent by the Health Insurance via regular emails has sought to make policyholders aware of the concrete impact of their healthcare consumption on this deficit.
This measure is not intended to make patients feel guilty, but to change behaviors toward a more responsible use of healthcare resources. This includes avoiding unnecessary consultations, reckless medication purchases, and the excessive use of expensive procedures that are unnecessary. By fostering a collective consciousness renewed by these messages, each individual is encouraged to better manage their health, in collaboration with their mutual insurance company, whether MGEN, Harmonie Mutuelle, or other organizations such as AG2R La Mondiale.
By learning about each reimbursement, policyholders can consider their overall health trajectory and adapt their behaviors. This new information relationship, coupled with the advice often provided by complementary organizations, promotes a proactive approach to prevention. It addresses the challenges of a system with limited resources, which everyone must preserve for future generations.
Furthermore, this digital tool will reveal its true potential in terms of economic efficiency if the reflex of checking emails becomes automatic. Health Insurance, in partnership with all social protection stakeholders such as Groupama, Mutuelle Générale, and Malakoff Humanis, is working to ensure that this transition to greater transparency is accepted and positively perceived by the population.
Collaboration between Health Insurance and mutual insurance companies for better protection of policyholders
The initiative to send an email after each consultation is not limited to simple communication between the Health Insurance and its policyholders. It is part of a broader approach to support, in which mutual health insurance companies play a key role alongside Social Security. In France, a wide variety of supplemental health insurance organizations exist: from Mutuelle GĂ©nĂ©rale to AG2R La Mondiale, including Harmonie Mutuelle, MGEN, Macif, and April, all contribute to ensuring optimal coverage of patients’ out-of-pocket expenses.
These organizations also benefit from the information transmitted via Ameli, which facilitates data exchange aimed at optimizing reimbursements and preventing errors. For example, when a policyholder receives an email regarding a reimbursement, their mutual health insurance company can, thanks to the secure transmission of information, immediately adjust supplemental coverage, thus avoiding delays or misunderstandings.
This operational coordination strengthens the consistency of overall care, reducing the risk of error and improving the quality perceived by the policyholder. It also promotes targeted collective prevention actions. Mutual insurance companies use this data to raise awareness among their members about certain uses, encourage tailored healthcare pathways, and offer personalized services tailored to the needs of each patient. Recent examples show that this synergy between health insurance and mutual insurance companies such as Harmonie Mutuelle and Malakoff Humanis creates a virtuous circle that benefits everyone.
Thus, in 2025, this new email information system will fully embrace a digital evolution facilitating greater citizen involvement in the management of healthcare spending. Behind each message is a call for shared vigilance and active solidarity, strengthening ties between institutions, complementary organizations, and insured individuals. This development perfectly illustrates the gradual transformation of the French healthcare model, in a spirit of collaboration and mutual responsibility.