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TRUE OR FALSE: will removing the AME cause a health risk?
TRUE OR FALSE: will removing the AME cause a health risk?
(franceinfo)
Eliminate state medical aid: the idea has not yet been implemented, but the shields are already rising, even in the presidential camp. Could the reform pose a risk to public health?
Will removing State Medical Aid (AME) cause a health risk? This is the alert launched by COVARS, the health risk monitoring and anticipation committee, made up of health professionals: “Maintaining access to care for all is a crucial issue for public health and the protection of society against health risks.“
Without treatment from the first symptoms, patients could transmit infections on a large scale to the entire population. COVARS also believes that “delays in access to care and treatment could transfer pathologies normally treated at lower cost in community medicine to more expensive hospital care“.
In 2022, the average expenditure for an AME beneficiary was 212 euros per year for community care, and a hospital stay cost on average 1,468 euros, or seven times more. According to a public health specialist, French hospitals could have difficulty absorbing the workload.
The Senate report also recognizes that there is no guarantee that replacing AME with emergency medical aid will result in savings for the State.