Baruch College, CUNY - ECON 101What is the difference between the United States and France healthcare system

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What is the difference between the United States and France healthcare system? French Health Care System The French healthcare system has been in place and has continued to evolve for more than one... hundred years, and was classified the “best health system in the world” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 2000. It permits all French citizens access to treatment and to the latest discoveries in medical research. The success of the French health system is evidenced in the general health of the French population. Their life expectancy increases more than three months each year, and French women have the second highest life expectancy rate in the world. The Healthcare System and its Users: The French government provides a number of diverse and comprehensive healthcare rights. For more than 96 percent of the population, medical care is either entirely free or is reimbursed 100 percent. The French also have the right to choose among healthcare providers, regardless of their income level. For example, they can consult a variety of doctors and specialists or choose a public, private, university or general hospital. Moreover, the waiting lists for surgeries found in other government supported healthcare systems do not exist in France. In France, health insurance is a branch of the Social Security system. It is funded by workers’ salaries (60 percent of the fund), by indirect taxes on alcohol and tobacco and by direct contribution paid by all revenue proportional to income, including retirement pensions and capital revenues. On the surface, it appears that health insurance reimburses medical care providers less in France than in other European countries. However, more than 80 percent of French people have supplemental insurance, often provided by their employers. The poorest have free universal healthcare, which is financed by taxes. Additionally, the treatment costs for those who suffer from long-term illnesses are completely reimbursed. In July 2001, the government passed a law allowing the healthcare system to provide additional assistance to families who need help with daily tasks. On March 4, 2002, the government passed another law, establishing compensation for all medical-related accidents whether fault is found or not. These new rights were added to other long established rights, such as compensation payments in the case of pregnancy or disease prevention, medical care for workers and students, family planning, and systematic screening of certain diseases. Organization of the Healthcare System: Since 1996, the government has presented a law to parliament every year in order to finance social security. This document delineates the budget for next year’s national expenditures on health insurance. It additionally outlines goals to be achieved by the healthcare system during that year. However, these goals are broadly drawn as the actual healthcare budget varies according to revenue earned through taxes each year. The government provides health insurance to three major groups of the population: salaried workers and their families, farmers, and artists and business professionals. Within each of these three groups, expenditures are divided by region and by type. Types of expenditures include general practitioners’ fees, specialists’ fees, medical prescriptions, public hospitals, private clinics, nursing professionals and sanitary transportation. [Show More]

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