The increase of nearly 100 million euros provided for in the government's 2021 budget for State Medical Aid (AME), which allows undocumented migrants to access healthcare, sparked a political outburst on Tuesday. an ultra-sensitive subject.
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In the finance bill (PLF) presented on Monday, the State's contribution to the common law AME reached 990 million euros, or 80% of the appropriations of the health mission and 97 million more than the envelope allocated for 2020 (893 million euros).
“
In the midst of a health crisis, the State intends to pass an increase of almost 100 million in the AME, reserved for foreigners in an irregular situation.
We are thus approaching the billion devoted to this aid.
Imagine, if it was part of a reform of the public hospital ...
”indignant on Twitter the president of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen.
“
Tomorrow we will stop treating foreigners.
Do you think that untreated illnesses will spare you because you have a French identity card?
Spoiler: NO.
Treating foreigners living in France is a question of humanity but also of public health!
», Replied within ten minutes Marlène Schiappa, Minister for Citizenship, in particular in charge of asylum and integration issues.
The amount of the AME is regularly debated on the political spectrum.
Last year, it was on the menu of the very first parliamentary debate on immigration wanted by Emmanuel Macron.
The Philippe government had, in the wake of this debate which is to be held again in the coming weeks, announced its desire to fight against fraud at the AME, as well as the establishment of a three-month waiting period for access to healthcare for asylum seekers.
The AME, which benefits people in an irregular situation residing in France for more than three months and whose resources are low, "
helps to protect the entire population from epidemiological and health risks
", underlines the PLF presented on Monday.
"
Despite a temporary closure of the borders induced by the health crisis in 2020, the continuous increase in expenditure observed in recent years justifies the continuation in 2021 of the measures undertaken since the start of the five-year term
", can we still read in this document.
Read also: State medical aid: serial scandals at the public hospital
According to the latest official data available, some 318,000 undocumented migrants are eligible for AME.
But according to a study by the Institute for Research and Documentation in Health Economics (Irdes) published at the end of 2019, only one in two illegal immigrants benefits.