State medical aid, on hold, is faced with its inadequacies. More than eight out of ten people eligible for this healthcare system reserved for undocumented immigrants do not use it, according to a report by the NGO Médecins du monde. On the ground, “among people eligible for state medical aid, nearly 87% do not have open rights in France, proof of the complexity of obtaining it,” writes the NGO in its annual report devoted to this system, which has 400,000 beneficiaries, at a cost of around 1.2 billion euros.
To arrive at this observation of massive non-recourse, Médecins du monde relied on the sample of 17,093 people welcomed in 2022 in its 14 care and guidance centers, 98% of which were attended by immigrants. The “reality is far from the hysterical and manipulative speeches around this public health system”, estimates Dr Jean-François Corty, vice-president of the NGO, in reference to the comments of the right and the extreme right which demand each year a drastic restriction of the system.
On the right, the temptation to delete the device
“50% of people are late in seeking care” and “80% have real illnesses that require rapid treatment,” he explains. The AME system is not abusive, it meets necessary and useful prevention standards. » The “non-recourse” described by the NGO is mainly due to “ignorance of the system” on the part of foreigners “who are nevertheless accused of wanting to take advantage of it”, comments for her part Nadège Drouot, coordinator for the Lorraine region.
“From a health point of view, saying that we must eliminate the AME in favor of an emergency system does not make sense,” continues Dr Corty. However, this is the position of Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. The proposal did not appear in the initial version of the government bill but was added by amendment by the law committee of the Senate, controlled by the right. But it satisfies the minister, who said he was in favor “on a personal basis” and saw it as a concession to rally the LR behind his text.
“In addition, what the LR and centrists are proposing is still completely acceptable: free vaccination, pregnant women treated, urgent pathologies treated,” he assumed on Tuesday, according to his entourage. The subject, however, provokes “real disagreement” even within the government. Olivier Véran, professional neurologist and former Minister of Health, repeats that AME “does not constitute a call for air”. Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, recently on this line, now considers it “legitimate to re-examine” the system. She launched a mission in this direction, entrusted to two political figures, Patrick Stéfanini, on the right, and Claude Evin, on the left. They will have to submit a pre-report on November 2, four days before the opening of the parliamentary debate.