[Legal and social management of precariousness]

Health regulations now applicable in France maintain, in principle, the right to health care for all, including those who are in the most precarious situations. Physicians are responsible for knowing the laws and regulations in this regard. Nevertheless, the number of persons in such situations is clearly increasing. The causes are always multiple and require application of medical and social mechanisms. Causes can include recent social rupture, precariousness having become chronic, irregularity of the administrative situation and the labyrinth of procedures to complete. Chronic diseases themselves are factors in precarious situations. Rather than being reserved to a few specialised units, social approaches to precarious situations should be integrated into the daily activity of private and public health services.