The end of the debate, which has been going on since 2017, is approaching. The mediator, which was appointed to try to bring the national health fund (CNS) and the federation of associations representing psychotherapists in the grand duchy (Fapsylux) to an agreement on the coverage of psychotherapy, has reported to the government that the procedure has failed.

“It’s enough,” commented (LSAP), minister for social security. He announced that he would “take his responsibilities” by presenting, by the end of the week, a preliminary draft of a grand ducal regulation to set the pricing of psychotherapy acts. “This will enable them to be covered by health insurance in the short term,” says a statement sent by his ministry.

Discussions since 2017

As a reminder, discussions on the subject had started in 2017. A first failure of the negotiations in 2018, after a six-month phase, had led to a three-month mediation whcih did not lead to conciliation. In 2019, the social securtity minister then had the grand ducal regulation of 12 February 2021 drawn up, triggering the next procedural step of determining the acts of the nomenclature and related tariffs.

Negotiations resumed in March 2021, and the two parties agreed, according to a Fapsylux document of 9 August 2022, on several issues, such as the reimbursement of three sessions before a decision was taken on the coverage of treatment by the CNS. But the point of divergence that remains between the two actors concerns the amount of reimbursement. The psychotherapists are asking for €175 per session, as opposed to €120 for the CNS.

It remains to be seen how the government will decide and how the issue will progress at legislative level.

This article was originally published in French on and has been translated and edited for Delano.