A wind of controversy is blowing through the news: the Senate recently adopted the abolition of state medical aid (AME) for undocumented immigrants, transformed into “emergency medical aid”. This reform, introduced by the senatorial right, was accepted by the government. At the same time, the senators also supported the regularization of immigrants working in professions in shortage.
Heated debates in the Senate allowed the Upper House to impose stricter restrictions in the government’s immigration bill. A compromise was found between the right and the centrists on article 3, which provides for the granting of a one-year renewable residence permit to undocumented workers working in sectors with a labor shortage. Although the measure is likely to be permanently removed, senators agreed to reintroduce it in modified form in other parts of the text.
This agreement paves the way for the adoption of a tougher version of the bill in a formal vote on November 14. However, the government has not expressed a clear position on this abolition of the AME, leaving the possibility for the National Assembly to review this decision. The Minister for Health Professions, Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, insisted on the importance of maintaining the AME as a public health system.
The emergency medical aid proposed by the Senate aims to refocus on the treatment of serious illnesses and acute pain, thus reducing access to care for around 400,000 beneficiaries. This measure was strongly criticized by the left, who described it as an “article of shame”. The right justifies its position by invoking the risks of “draft” represented by the AME and its high cost, estimated at around 1.2 billion euros.
This toughening of the bill is in line with the desire of the senatorial majority to strengthen the government’s migration policy, in particular by facilitating the expulsions of “delinquent” foreigners. However, some senators have expressed dissatisfaction with what they see as a “fool’s game” by the senatorial right, while others point out that the interests of centrists were also taken into account in the compromise .
This news sparks passionate debates and raises many questions about immigration policies and access to healthcare for undocumented immigrants. What will be the repercussions of this abolition of the AME on the beneficiaries? How can we reconcile the regularization needs of workers in tension with the concerns of immigration control? The coming weeks will be decisive in defining the future of these measures.