The Balearic High Court has been considering an appeal against the Balearic government's policy by the state's general administration. It has now ruled in favour of Madrid and has annulled the decision to restore health care and health cards (in fact they aren't cards as everyone else has but a specific document entitling illegal immigrants to use IB-Salut health services).
The government's spokesperson, Pilar Costa, says that there will be an appeal to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the 8,200 cards given to immigrants without a residence permit since 2015 will remain in force as the High Court's ruling is not final.
The High Court has taken the view that the Balearic decision represented an exceeding of regional power and that it clashed with the decree of 2012 by which health care was withdrawn. The government's argument that it restored health care on humanitarian grounds "cannot justify or permit the breach of legality, which recognises that only the state and not autonomous communities (regional governments) has competence to define ... beneficiaries of the national health system".
The Balearics was not the only region to restore health care to illegal immigrants. There were six regions in all. In spring 2015 the Spanish government appeared to do a U-turn, but by August of that year it was warning the regions that strong measures could be expected because the European Union would impose multi-million euro fines on Spain. This warning, if anything, had the opposite effect to the one intended. Even the conservative-led Madrid regional government announced its intention to restore rights.
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Geoff,our negative votes were obviously given by people who either don´t pay taxes here or don´t mind leaving a humongous deficit for their chikdren, and childrens childen, to pay off whilst at the same time having to survive on a pension that will barely keep them from starving.
What part of 'illegal' do they not understand? We have already seen an erosion of the state health care system and burdening it with illegal claims at the expense of legal claims is absurd. I am a resident and I am still using my private health care policy while I wait for my state coverage so why should they be any different?
Question. What are they doing here getting sick in the first place ?.
this is smart!... if undocumented immigrants get sick and DON'T go for medical help they could possibly spread an infectious disease that could otherwise be addressed!