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L’assurance Maladie
The French healthcare system was founded in 1945 as the French National Health Insurance program. Now, France spends 11.2% of it's GDP on health care. The French National Health Service generally refunds patients 70% of most health care costs, and 100% in case of costly or long-term ailments. They are expected to pay the rest out of pocket or through private insurance companies, most of whom are nonprofit. A chart is posted below detailing this breakdown. Coverage is offered to virtually every person living in France. This makes the average life expectancy of a French citizen 81 years.
The Issue With the French System
The issue with this is that countries with comparable health care systems, such as Japan, Sweden and the Netherlands spend no more than 8% of their GDP on average on healthcare. This is compared to France spending over 10% of it's GDP on healthcare. The issue with the French healthcare system is that too many procedures are deemed necessary and are reimbursed by the government. This leads to treatments such as mud baths and massages coming out of federal funds, thus the taxpayer. Sure, this leads to a very high life expectancy and a high quality of life, but a government cannot go on supporting all these procedures and programs without continuing to raise taxes.
The French healthcare system was founded in 1945 as the French National Health Insurance program. Now, France spends 11.2% of it's GDP on health care. The French National Health Service generally refunds patients 70% of most health care costs, and 100% in case of costly or long-term ailments. They are expected to pay the rest out of pocket or through private insurance companies, most of whom are nonprofit. A chart is posted below detailing this breakdown. Coverage is offered to virtually every person living in France. This makes the average life expectancy of a French citizen 81 years.
The Issue With the French System
The issue with this is that countries with comparable health care systems, such as Japan, Sweden and the Netherlands spend no more than 8% of their GDP on average on healthcare. This is compared to France spending over 10% of it's GDP on healthcare. The issue with the French healthcare system is that too many procedures are deemed necessary and are reimbursed by the government. This leads to treatments such as mud baths and massages coming out of federal funds, thus the taxpayer. Sure, this leads to a very high life expectancy and a high quality of life, but a government cannot go on supporting all these procedures and programs without continuing to raise taxes.