Paris (AFP)
Ehpad, hospitals, pensions, alimony ... The government has gutted in recent months promises that will weigh on the budget of the Sécu for 2020, without specifying for now how it intends to reduce a deficit that has widened this year .
The list of government announcements has further lengthened Wednesday: Health Minister Agnès Buzyn assured that the next budget of the Social Security would include "money for the Ehpad", where "what is missing today it's staff. "
Additional means that will come "in anticipation of the law on old age and autonomy" scheduled for the end of the year, as indicated by the Prime Minister in June.
Edouard Philippe had indeed mentioned "a first step", with "investments in the Ehpad" and "measures to support home care" of the elderly.
On this second part, Ms Buzyn had already promised to "create a compensated family carer's leave", including in situations of disability or illness.
The Secu budget for 2020 will also introduce a new mechanism for the recovery of maintenance, which can be "automatically deducted" by the family allowance funds (CAF) "from June 2020", according to the commitment of Mr. Philippe.
In addition, a financial envelope is provided for maternal and child health services (PMI), according to the Secretary of State for the Protection of Childhood, Adrien Taquet.
Other extensions are expected at the hospital, with a further increase in funding to improve the quality of care and a "redesign" of funding for psychiatry, planned by Ms. Buzyn "until 2022".
To complete this accumulation, Emmanuel Macron himself announced in April new gestures in favor of pensioners: next year, the pensions "under 2,000 euros" will be revaluated again at the level of inflation and the guaranteed minimum for a full career will be set at 1,000 euros per month.
- "Back to balance" -
A prodigality that the executive has so far failed to detail the bill. For the two measures proposed by the head of state, "the total cost is estimated at 1.5 billion euros and will deteriorate the balance of Social Security," warned the Commission des comptes. at the beginning of summer.
What complicate the budget equation for a scalded government: less than a year ago, he was counting on a historic return to equilibrium in 2019, before its prediction is shattered on the reality of the economic slowdown.
Instead of a small surplus, the Sécu should record this year a deficit of at least 1.7 billion euros, against 1.2 billion in 2018.
The bill could even go up to 4.4 billion, if the state does not offset the costly concessions to "yellow vests" (reduced CSG for some retirees, exemption from overtime).
To raise the bar, the 2020 budget will define a new "path of return to equilibrium", based on "not too drastic savings measures," explained in June the Director of Social Security, Mathilde Lignot-Leloup.
In the wake, the Minister of Public Accounts, Gerald Darmanin, said that "the goal remains unchanged" for the Secu, namely "balance of accounts by 2022".
But since then, he has unveiled only one track of savings: a coup de plane of 400 million euros on a social niche, the specific flat deduction, which reduces employer contributions in certain sectors such as construction, aviation or the media.
Even adding the partial disbursement of homeopathy, which will increase from 30% to 15% on January 1st, and scheduled increases in tobacco prices in April and November, the executive will still be far off the mark.
And the tax on "premix" drinks considered by some members of the majority, if it is born, will probably not be enough to get out of the red.
© 2019 AFP