The French healthcare system

This article makes a little bit of a change. I thought it might interest my readers, since healthcare is being talked about quite a lot at the moment. The French healthcare system's combination of universal public insurance with complementary private insurance allows for comprehensive coverage, high-quality care, and patient choice, making it one of the most respected healthcare models in the world. It is known for its high quality and efficiency.

Here’s an overview of how it works:

Public Health Insurance

1. Universal Coverage: All legal residents of France are entitled to health insurance, primarily through the public system known as Sécurité Sociale or l'Assurance Maladie.

2. Funding: The system is funded through a mix of income taxes, general taxes, and patient contributions.

3. Reimbursement: The system reimburses a significant portion of medical costs, usually around 70-80% for general practitioners and up to 100% for chronic illnesses or major surgeries.

4. Carte Vitale: Residents receive a health insurance card, Carte Vitale, which is used for all medical appointments and prescriptions. The card facilitates direct billing between healthcare providers and the insurance system.

Private Health Insurance

1. Complementary Insurance: Many residents take out complementary private health insurance (mutuelle) to cover the remaining costs not reimbursed by the public system. This includes copayments, dental care, vision care, and private hospital rooms.

2. Employer Contribution: Often, employers offer complementary health insurance as part of employment benefits.

3. Choice and Flexibility: Private health insurance provides greater choice and flexibility in terms of additional services and higher coverage limits.

Healthcare Providers and Services

1. Doctors and Specialists: Patients have the freedom to choose their healthcare providers, including general practitioners and specialists. They can visit specialists directly or be referred by a general practitioner.

2. Hospitals: There are both public and private hospitals. Public hospitals are funded by the state, while private hospitals and clinics may charge higher fees, partially covered by the public system and private insurance.

3. Prescription Drugs: The cost of prescription medications is also partially reimbursed by the public system, with varying levels of reimbursement depending on the drug's necessity and efficacy.

Cost Control and Efficiency

1. Regulated Fees: The government regulates the fees that healthcare providers can charge, ensuring affordability and controlling overall healthcare costs.

2. Quality of Care: The French healthcare system consistently ranks highly in terms of quality of care, accessibility, and patient satisfaction.

Access and Equity

1. Universal Access: The system aims to provide equitable access to healthcare services for all residents, regardless of income.

2. Preventive Care: There is a strong emphasis on preventive care and public health initiatives to reduce long-term healthcare costs and improve population health.

Challenges

1. Funding Pressure: Like many healthcare systems, France faces financial pressures due to an ageing population and increasing healthcare costs.

2. Reform Needs: Ongoing reforms are often necessary to ensure the system remains sustainable and continues to provide high-quality care.

So, what do we think? In the UK’s National Health Service we simply register with a GP or get an ambulance to a hospital emergency room, and there is no question of anything to do with money (dental treatment being the only exception). Just pay the pharmacist a small fee when you pick up the prescription medicine.

I am utterly and fatally allergic to form-filling and red tape. I will do anything to avoid it! So although the French system is much-lauded, it does sound complex. In a country where 50 percent of the population is employed as a “petit fonctionnaire” to push paper around and make your life a red tape misery as you spend days being shunted from one government department to another for the smallest things, I have a feeling I would not like to have to navigate the French health system. For sure, however, it has to be a thousand times better than the American one. And I know that Americans would agree. Many find that having health insurance is a living hell, with huge monthly premiums yet equally huge excesses, so you don’t get anything for your payments unless your bill is exceptionally large. There are no controls over pharmaceutical companies, and pills regularly cost 20 dollars or more each.

So, Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK Party—which has just today published its new manifesto—no French system please. I’m sure the British National Health Service is due for many improvements, but the ones you have committed to are just fine on their own, including 17 billion a year extra funding, and student debt cancellation for doctors and nurses after they have worked 10 years or more for the NHS.

The rest of the Reform UK Party manifesto is resoundingly anti-globalist, anti-WEF, promises to investigate the covid vaccine excess deaths, and contains much other great stuff. If you’re in the UK, try giving it a read and see what you think.