Many foreigners give up their health rights. A survey carried out in Île-de-France by several associations, including Cimade, Médecins du monde and Secours Catholique, denounces the administrative obstacles that hinder access to healthcare for foreigners without a right of residence.
Their report considers that the mandatory period of three months of presence on the territory introduced by the reform of state medical aid (AME) in 2019 and the obligation to physically submit a first request have “dangerously hindered access to rights and health of these populations”. As a result, 64% of those questioned encountered difficulties in obtaining treatment for lack of health coverage, and among them, 7 out of 10 gave up treatment, notes the report.
Disparities depending on the department
The associations also note disparities in access to rights according to the departments of the Ile-de-France region, with some primary health insurance funds (CPAM) requiring appointments to be made by Internet or by telephone, to come and submit their file, while those concerned do not all speak French and do not always have access to the Internet.
Thus, more than a third of calls do not end in Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne and when this is the case, “only 4% of interlocutors direct people who do not have coverage illness to health care hotlines [Pass]. »
Accumulation of obstacles
“Our finding is clear and highlights a significant deterioration in access to the AME through a combination of administrative obstacles making it very difficult to access CPAM agencies”, declare the associations. They demand “the unconditional reception and without appointment of all users, regardless of their administrative situation, in all local agencies, and under suitable conditions”.
The survey was conducted using various data collections, including those from the Health Insurance website ameli.fr and the appointment booking platform clickRDV. comas well as by a “telephone testing” of 3434 undertaken 271 times with 4 previously identified departmental health insurance services (75, 93, 94 and 95), by volunteers.