At the Ministry of Health, delivery men dropped off chocolate eggs wrapped in silver paper containing small gifts on Friday, November 17. “It looks like the proposed “ageing well” law”, quipped a visitor seeing the Christmas packages. Launched by the Macronist majority at the end of 2022, the text is examined again, Monday November 20, in the National Assembly, after the start of the first reading interrupted in April.
” Empty shell ” initially criticized by the opposition on the right and left, the proposed law (PPL) suddenly transformed into a legislative surprise bag thanks to an amendment passed on April 13. Adopted unanimously, it provides for the creation of a “multi-year programming law for old age”. This one “will determine the trajectory of public finances in terms of autonomy for the elderly, for a minimum period of five years”, indicates the text.
By becoming the prelude to a future bill, the “aging well” PPL has revived the hope aroused by Emmanuel Macron’s promise, in 2018, of a reform for old age, which remained a dead letter.
However, nothing would legally oblige the government to translate such an amendment into action. But Friday November 17, Aurore Bergé, Minister of Solidarity and Families “made a moral commitment”welcomed Annie Vidal, MP (Renaissance) for Seine-Maritime and co-rapporteur of the PPL. “Yes, you are right: a law for programming old age is necessary. I commit to you to see it through”, declared the minister while presenting her ” strategy ” for the “age well” in front of an audience of elderly actors gathered at the ministry.
“The law could ideally be ready by the end of 2024, entrust to World Aurore Bergé. I would like it to be coordinated with associations of elected officials and employers’ federations. »
“Getting out of short-termism”
“ A programming law for old age goes in the right directiongreets Dominique Libault, current president of the High Council for the Financing of Social Protection. It will make it possible to move away from short-termism by forcing us to estimate needs and consider financing prospectively. It is also a tool for making advancing age an important subject of democratic debate. »
The challenge remains its financing. Mr. Libault had estimated the needs at nearly 10 billion euros by 2030 in a report submitted to the government in 2019. The government budgeted an additional 2.4 billion euros for 2024, in the draft law financing of Social Security. But the cost of the efforts to be made could increase.
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