“It really is a great victory, a fundamental step forward.” Pascale Ribes, president of APF France handicap, does not hide her emotion as it comes into effect on Monday 1is December, full coverage of wheelchairs by Social Security, obtained after ‘Twenty years of fighting and five years of hard work’. The pledge was made by Emmanuel Macron at the National Conference on Disability in April 2023, but talks had already begun with the government, distributors, manufacturers and health professionals to review funding that is described by people with disabilities as a “obstacle course”.
According to the Ministry of Health, 1.1 million people in France use wheelchairs and 150,000 buy them every year, including 10,000 specific manual wheelchairs, adapted to complex disabilities, and 15,000 electric ones. These categories, which are the most expensive, were very poorly reimbursed. For so-called “active” models in light metal, which cost between 6,000 and 10,000 euros, the Social Security reimbursed approximately 600 euros. And for complex electric chairs, with verticalizer and multiple options, the bill can reach 40,000 to 50,000 euros, with health insurance coverage of up to 5,200 euros.
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