Paying for your studies, feeding yourself, for some having to find accommodation… Student budgets are often strained, especially since the Covid-19 health crisis. Some can count on their family, others must work alongside their studies. This was the case of 41% of them in 2021 according to 6th edition of the National Survey on the Health of Students carried out by theCSA Institute for LMDE – INTERIALE Group. Yet many of them find themselves in particularly complex situations. The purchasing power of this population has also fallen sharply, an alarming observation which has prompted the implementation of various actions by the public authorities as well as by those involved in student life, such as La Mutuelle Des Etudiants, which has been committed since its creation to support students in their journey.
LMDE takes stock of students’ purchasing power
The UNEF student union recently published a survey on the purchasing power of students, who has sharply dropped over the last five years and more alarmingly since the health crisis.
The union estimates that students have on average €247.38 more to pay (i.e. €20.61 per month) and have at the same time lost almost €40 in direct aid. Without forgetting that at the same time, the cost of student living continues to increase (+10% since 2017), particularly in terms of accommodation. It is in fact the main item of expenditure for students and professionals are seeing an increase in rents throughout the country.
Faced with these difficulties, according to a parliamentary investigation report published in December 2020, one in six young people had to stop studying.
Systems put in place to help students
In view of the difficulties arising from the health crisis, the government has put in place various measures to fight against the growing precariousness of students.
THE freezing of university registration fees put in place during the crisis was renewed for the 2022-2023 school year by Minister Frédérique Vidal while the scholarships based on social criteria were upgraded. Likewise, student loans guaranteed by the State have been strengthened (their allocation has in fact been multiplied by 5 in 2021 and 2022).
Furthermore, to help students in their access to accommodation, the freezing of rent indexation in university residences was maintained and then extended. But it is essentially at the food level that the aid has been the most numerous: meal for 1 euro from CROUS, solidarity grocery stores, food distribution operation…In addition, the government announced thata food check would be paid to students receivingPLA.
If this aid aims to combat the rampant precariousness of students, Despite everything, the UNEF hopes that the public authorities will become more involved, in particular by reforming the scholarship system to increase them and make them accessible to as many people as possible (including foreign students).
La Mutuelle Des Étudiants is committed to improving the living conditions of students
Since its creation, lmde is a committed player in student healthThis is why it offers a wide range of contracts accessible to as many people as possible, such as its hospitalization offer available from €4.90/month. It regularly launches “free month” operations for enable future students who would like to be covered by mutual insurance, to pay a cheaper contribution. LMDE is also registered (via the Intériale mutual fund) on the list of complementary organizations managing Complémentaire Santé Solidaire (CSS) for students with low resources.
To go further, the guarantees and services of the student mutual insurance have also been expanded: free medical teleconsultation, reimbursements for unsupported services over there Social Security (contraception, alternative medicine, nicotine substitute…). Each new innovation is made possible by identifying the health needs of students who responded to the National Student Health Survey.
In this context, LMDE was the first mutual to reimburse periodic protection in order to help young women avoid having to suffer from menstrual insecurity. The organism militates besides also so that these periodic protections are made available in higher education establishments, as well as in university residences and restaurants, free of charge.
Students can also benefit from numerous good deals thanks to their membership in the LMDE Who establishes long-term partnerships with numerous stakeholders of student life: accommodation, training, sport, culture, travel…
Each partnership entitles you to reductions or preferential rates from brands dear to students.
Furthermore, fully aware of the issues, student mutual insurance for several years the mental health of young people at the heart of its concerns. To this end, it notably established the full reimbursement of the first session with a psychiatrist as well as a fixed price of €40/session and this from the HOSPI guarantee (from 2 to 10 sessions depending on the formulas chosen). And for optimal well-being, contracts can reimburse, depending on the guarantees, up to €1,045 of prevention packages (alternative medicine, bike pass, sports subscription, bike equipment, nutritionist, etc.).
Beyond this financial support, LMDE also affirmed its desire to break the taboo linked to mental health by creating with Paulette magazine a guilt-free manual that encourages students to talk about their problems.
In end of numerous prevention and awareness actions are regularly implemented by the student mutual, which innovates to reach as many people as possible on themes linked to student life such as peer prevention where students specifically trained by psychologists meet other students in public spaces. Since 2022, LMDE members can also benefit from motivational coaching from Plural Prevention nurses – INTERIALE Group for any questions relating to their health. LMDE continues its commitment to students and remains attentive to them in order to determine areas of concern that may affect their health, both physical and mental.
