Defender of rights, Claire Hédon, said on Wednesday she was “concerned” by the end of reimbursement for Covid-19 screening tests. According to her, “this decision profoundly changes the balance on which the device provided for by law was based and could be compared to a disguised vaccination obligation”. Since October 15, tests are no longer reimbursed for people who are not fully vaccinated, with some exceptions (medical prescription, case of contact, recent positive test, contraindication to the vaccine).
Announced in July, this measure aims to push the reluctant towards vaccination, while avoiding expenditure for Health Insurance: the cost of tests will indeed soar to 6.2 billion this year, after 2.2 billion in 2020. Claire Hédon judges that “this provision, which will affect in particular the most vulnerable people, presents a discriminatory risk”, by making more difficult “the screening of people far from the health system”, as well as “precarious populations and / or isolated ”.
“The risk of long-term exceptional measures”
In addition, the day after the start of the examination in the National Assembly of a new bill on the Covid crisis, Claire Hédon points to “the risk that exceptional measures are long-lasting”. This bill provides for the possibility of using the health pass until July 31, a period contested by all the oppositions.
The defender of rights is an institution independent of the State, created ten years ago, which has two missions: to defend people whose rights are not respected and to allow the equality of all in access to rights. . Claire Hédon has held this position since July 2020.