for Michel Barnier there is “neither totem nor taboo”

“There is no taboo, no totem, there is simply the concern to deal with this issue firmly and with humanity. I would also like to tackle a subject that costs a lot of money, which is that of tax fraud, of course, but also social fraud,” declared Michel Barnier on Sunday September 22 during the 8 p.m. news on France 2. A blank follows, without specifying the subject. The implication is that it is not only the richest who commit fraud, we must also look at undocumented immigrants and others who take advantage of the French social protection system. The taboo is lifted, in a televised statement by the head of government. A taboo around a demand long expressed by the National Rally: the abolition of State Medical Aid (AME).

Why is the Prime Minister venturing into this territory? Observers and political analysts see this as a signal sent to Marine Le Pen’s electorate, presented as a pledge of support for the government, to avoid any censure in the National Assembly.

According to a Senate report, at the beginning of 2023, AME benefited 423,000 people, up 43% compared to 2019. Overall cost last year: 1.140 billion euros paid by Health Insurance, according to the senators, but which only represents 0.5% of total health expenditure in France. It is difficult to venture further into these data without falling into a quarrel over figures.

The matter is being handled by the new Minister of Health, Geneviève Darrieussecq, who will have to decide in particular on the hiring procedure for doctors who graduated abroad and who work in French hospitals under precarious status.