On 27 March, several questions were asked to the State Secretary for Migration and Asylum Policy and for Social Integration, Maggie de Block, in relation to recent changes and ongoing pilot projects transferring the responsibility for the control and reimbursement of urgent medical assistance related costs to the Auxiliary Fund for Sickness and Disability.

As a reminder, various media recently relayed the news that the costs of urgent medical assistance provided to illegally staying migrants in Belgium would, as from June, no longer be beared by Public Centers for Social Welfare (CPAS) but rather by the Auxiliary Fund for Sickness and Disability (CAAMI). According to these sources, the first objective of this transfer is to reduce the work of CPAS, who are unfamiliar with the complexity of urgent medical assistance related issues and overwhelmed by the administrative burden. The new system also aims to reduce abuses. See some press articles in French (Sudinfo, Le Soir, La Libre).

In the House of Representatives today, Maggie de Block confirmed that pilot projects are ongoing as part of a multistage project. She underlined that the project is not only targeted at illegally staying migrants. The first phase includes all medical expenses charged by a health care organization to destitute persons who do not have a health insurance covering such risks in Belgium and who can't neither be affiliated to a mutual insurance association. When the first phase will be operational, a data analysis will allow the launching of the next phases. Each phase will be set in a royal decree.

Thanks to a new database, caregivers will be able to access the most recent information (change of residence status, etc.). They will be informed that a certificate of urgent medical assistance is required for illegally staying persons. The doctor of the Auxiliary Fund for Sickness and Disability will check certificates issued with a view to avoiding abuses.

In the House of representatives, Maggie de Block stressed that urgent medical assistance is unconditional provided that an individual investigation shows that  the concerned party actually needs it.

More details and the exhaustive answer from Maggie de Block in the summary record.