Two bills were adopted on Wednesday night by deputies, one for the full reimbursement of wheelchairs, the other aimed at simplifying the lives of parents of children with disabilities. They must still be examined by the Senate.
The National Assembly unanimously approved, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the full reimbursement of wheelchairs by health insurance. “Some devices have a high cost”more “the dignity of those who use it on a daily basis is priceless”affirmed the rapporteur of the text, Sébastien Peytavie (Génération.s, member of the ecological and social group) himself paraplegic since the age of 3. His bill states that wheelchairs “are subject to full coverage by health insurance organizations”with the possible participation of complementary health insurance and the disability compensation benefit (PCH).
This vote comes after the government had announced to associations a decree “before the end of the year» to implement this full reimbursement, a promise from Emmanuel Macron dating back to April 2023. “We are fully pursuing the same objective” as that of the proposed law, but with a real divergence as to the method”commented during the debate the minister responsible for disabled people Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq. This question, she recalled, is the subject of negotiations between Social Security, manufacturers and distributors of chairs, in order to arrive at regulated prices.
“It’s not a luxury to have an armchair adapted to your needs”
Sébastien Peytavie (Génération.s, member of the ecological and social group)
However, Sébastien Peytavie's bill specifies that armchairs “are exempt from a maximum selling price”. “My chair costs 8,500 euros. In the reform proposed by the government, which sets a ceiling of 6,300 euros for this type” equipment, “it would therefore no longer be supported at all”explained the rapporteur. According to him, the sales limit price is a mechanism “unfair”, “ineffective” et “unsuitable” to the specific needs of people with disabilities, some of whom must “throw jackpots” or use a loan to finance their equipment.
The MP spoke of his “seven chairs in 39 years of paraplegia”ses “stitches” because of an armchair that folded too easily, or the “rubbing of a backrest too high” here he is “wore away the skin on the shoulder blades”. “It’s not a luxury to have an armchair adapted to your needs”or “the more specific needs a person has, the greater their remaining dependents”argued the MP. Its text, approved at first reading in the Assembly, must still be presented to the Senate. Unless “the government, or the next one, presents a decree without a sales price limit,” he told AFP after the vote.
A little earlier, the deputies had unanimously approved at first reading a bill aimed at simplifying the daily life of parents of children suffering from a serious illness or disability. Obtaining a helping hand to access housing, suspending loan repayment, or being accommodated near the hospital, the measures adopted were developed with concerned family associations.
The double punishment
“For families, it is often a double whammy: in addition to concerns directly linked to illness or disability, there are financial or administrative difficulties which can take on considerable proportions, particularly for less well-off families”summarized the text's rapporteur, Vincent Thiébaut (Horizons). “Several thousand young people and their families are today affected by these tragedies”underlined the Minister responsible for Families, Agnès Canayer, who spoke of the risk of loss of income for those who must “leave their job or work part-time to look after their children”.
To simplify the lives of the households concerned, the text provides for provisions aimed at facilitating the suspension of the repayment of a loan – by decision of a judge -, or at accelerating the allocation of the child's education allowance disabled (AAEH). Families will also be able to obtain free parking at the hospital – an expense which can reach 50 euros per day, in large hospital centers – and benefit from 100% coverage for psychologist or psychomotor therapist sessions. for their child. Currently, this care is only possible if professionals work directly in the hospital.
The text also simplifies the conditions for granting the Daily Parental Allowance (AJPP), which allows the parent to be compensated if they temporarily cease their activity to care for their seriously ill, injured or disabled child. In the case of a separated couple, both parents will be able to claim this allowance, which was not the case until now. The text must also be transmitted to the Senate, where the date of its examination is not yet known.
