Posted Apr 12, 2023, 1:55 PMUpdated on Apr 12, 2023, 3:30 PM
The presidential majority is struggling to respond to the aging of the population and to convince. The Renaissance bill debated since this week in the Assembly and supposed to help the French to “age well” is much criticized. According to the actors of the sector, it would be far from meeting the needs in spite of enrichments defended by the government.
“The proposed measures are a step in the right direction”, estimates the French Hospital Federation (FHF) but “they are very far from initiating the expected transformation”. The federation of public hospitals and nursing homes calls for “new financial resources […] to meet the massive needs to come.
Lack of means
The bill provides “some answers to an urgent need”, judge for its part the Synerpa, representing groups of private retirement homes. “As it stands, our policy in favor of old age will not be able to meet the challenges of demographic aging”, however warns the lobby.
The previous five-year term was marked by the creation of a new branch of Social Security devoted to autonomy. However, many players in old age are waiting for the government to put more resources on the table.
Spending in favor of autonomy must increase from 32 billion in 2021 to 42 billion in 2026, retorts the government. He recalls that the budget dedicated to this policy will be increased from next year thanks to the use of a faction of the CSG.
At this stage, the executive ruled out the idea of proposing a specific bill. After carrying out a citizen consultation exercise with the National Council for Refoundation (CNR) on “ageing well”, he announced the presentation by the beginning of June of an “action plan” on old age. It would be completed by measures adopted in the Social Security budget by the fall.
Before that, the majority text must bring “concrete improvements for everyday life”, defended the Minister of Solidarity and Autonomy, Jean-Christophe Combe, Tuesday evening in the hemicycle. “Too often the debate relegates these everyday questions to the background, behind much more abstract financial or structural issues for the French,” he defended.
Frustration in the majority
The bill aims to strengthen the fight against abuse and to experiment with the creation of a professional card for home helpers, supposed to facilitate their work. It also intends to better prevent the loss of autonomy of seniors by creating a “national autonomy conference” to “reinforce the management of the prevention policy”.
A sign that the text is arousing some frustration even within the majority, Renaissance MP Monique Iborra decided last week to give up her place as co-rapporteur of the proposal, on the grounds “that it did not go far enough” .
Calling for a modulation of the price of nursing homes according to income, she will not participate in the debates and will not vote on the law, she told AFP. “It’s a big waste when we could have had a consensual text after the retreats”.
On Tuesday, the socialist deputy Jérôme Guedj denounced the “procrastination” on the subject and suggested an alternative bill. “Neither the seriousness nor the ambition are there in this bill”, denounced for his part the deputy Yannick Monnet, defending a motion to reject the Communists. However, this was postponed to Tuesday evening.
Urged to be more ambitious, the executive has tabled several amendments in recent days intended to enrich the text. One of them aims to create in each department “a departmental public service of autonomy”. The idea of this one-stop shop announced last week is to “bring the various actors in the field into line”, to provide “a global and coordinated response” on questions relating to autonomy.
Private nursing homes asked to invest in reception
Another amendment from the executive aims to oblige private nursing homes to devote a fraction of their profit – which cannot be more than 10% – to financing “actions in favor of the improvement of the conditions of accommodation and reception of residents.
“It does not shock me more than that,” said the general manager of the Korian France retirement home company, Nicolas Merigot, on Tuesday. But according to him, “it shouldn’t be too stigmatizing for [le secteur] commercial and that the terms are too restrictive”. The leader, on the other hand, says he is “perplexed” about the creation of the territorial public service of autonomy.