The bill passed by a vote of 99 to one.
The House of Representatives of Morocco approved, during a legislative session yesterday Monday, bill n°21.24 establishing specific provisions relating to the Basic Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO) scheme intended for individuals capable of paying the contributions but not carrying out any paid or unpaid activity. The text was adopted by a large majority, with 99 votes in favor and only one against.
During a detailed presentation of the bill, the Moroccan Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament and government spokesperson, Mustapha Baitas, stressed that this text “is part of the implementation of the Project Royal relating to the generalization of social protection”. He added that this legislation aims to “overcome the obstacles encountered in the generalization of medical coverage to all social categories”.
The minister specified that the objective of this project is to “guarantee the continuity of services for people who benefited from the AMO applicable to individuals unable to ensure payment of contributions, either because they have not submitted request to continue to benefit from this scheme, or because they no longer meet the required conditions, in particular the threshold set by the scheme.
Among the main provisions of this bill is “the exemption from the three-month training period stipulated in Law No. 60.22 relating to the AMO regime for persons capable of paying contributions and not exercising any activity paid or unpaid. This exemption applies to those who benefited from the aforementioned regime on November 30.
Minister Baitas also indicated that “the bill allows administrations, local authorities and public establishments offering support or public assistance to insured beneficiaries of the AMO Achamil” to verify, by various means, notably electronic, that they pay their contributions due to the CNSS.
The legislative text also provides for the recovery of the costs of services covered under the AMO for policyholders who benefited on November 30, 2023 from the basic compulsory health insurance plan intended for people unable to pay contributions. The project also mentions the development of a “regulatory text which will define the modalities for verifying the regularity of registered persons regarding the payment of contributions provided for in article 12 of the aforementioned law n° 60.22”.
This bill is part of a series of reforms aimed at ensuring universal medical coverage and strengthening the social protection system in Morocco. The approach undertaken by the government is welcomed by various social and economic actors for its relevance and its potential impact on improving the living conditions of citizens, particularly those belonging to the most vulnerable categories.
The favorable vote for this bill by an overwhelming majority of parliamentarians demonstrates not only the consensus around the importance of universal medical coverage, but also the firm political will to implement the necessary reforms to guarantee all citizens Moroccans have equitable access to health care.
MN/te/APA
