“We are going to initiate a reform of the AME next year to avoid abuses and misappropriations.” Prime Minister Michel Barnier announced in Le Figaro this Thursday, November 28, that the assistance basket covered by the AME (State Medical Assistance) “will be significantly reduced.”
“We are not going to eliminate it,” however, assured the head of government.
State medical aid benefits 320,000 people a year and covers 100% of most medical, hospital and pharmaceutical costs. It is open to foreigners in an irregular situation who do not have a residence permit or a document proving a current application for a residence permit. Therefore, it does not affect asylum seekers. It applies to the entire French territory, with the exception of Mayotte. It costs 935 million euros per year, around 0.5% of health spending.
Another request from the National Assembly
In a press release published early this Thursday, the National Rally, which threatens to vote in favor of censure against Michel Barnier’s Government, called for a “drastic” reduction of the AME.
Questioned a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister indicated that “there is no taboo or totem” on state medical aid. The Minister of Health, Geneviève Darrieusecq, stated for her part that “there is no question of touching” this medical aid to undocumented immigrants.
Source: BFM TV
