Health issues
French health service is best |
In which leading European country is there the
widest gap between the standard of care available to the poor and
that enjoyed by the rich ? The answer is the UK: the rich can always
take care of themselves, but the poor rely on the government and
in this country the state provides only a low standard.
Take france as an example. France has a reputation for central direction
but French healthcare is based on a compromise between egalitarianism
and liberalism. All citizens are said to be equal; yet, choice and
compétition are fiercely protected.
In France, individuals can identify how much they are paying and
decide if the cost is justified. Consequently, the standard of care
guaranteed by the state reflects the individual’s personal
preferences. And it is this high standard of care which is made available
to all. France performs well on almost all health status measures,
and according to the World Health Organisation France’s Health
system came top in the year 2000.
Compulsory health insurance covers the whole population. Contributions
are calculated as a percentage of income. The insurers are non-government,
non-profit agencies, which owe their allegiance to employers (who
pay about two-thirds of the premium) and employees. In addidtion
to their compulsory contribution (6.8 % of salaries), most employees
pay an additional voluntary 2.5 % of their salary to a mutual insurer.
The French enjoy choice of doctor, whether a généraliste
(GP) or a specialist, and typically pay their doctor’s fee
and then claim back 75-80 %. It is recognised that payment might
deter the poorest people from seeking care and so about 6m people
are not expected to pay. All patients may go directly to a specialist
either outside or within a hospital.
French national insurance makes no distinction between public and
private hospitals and patients have complete freedom of choice. Public
hospitals provide about 65 % of beds and the remainer are private
(about 20 % are for-profit and about 15 % non-profit).
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Source: © The Guardian, February 2001.
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Question : de quoi s’agit-il dans ce texte?
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