French Healthcare vs U.S. Healthcare Essay Example

financial devastation due to healthcare expenses. The healthcare system aims to relieve the most critically ill individuals from making co-payments and meeting deductibles. Moreover, French healthcare is widely recognized as the finest worldwide.

The social security system in France offers free or heavily discounted healthcare services provided by the government. These healthcare funds primarily come from the earnings of employed individuals, with approximately 21% of an employee's income being sent to the government, including contributions from employers. Within this total amount, employers contribute 12%, while employees contribute 0%.

The employee contributes 75% to the social security fund, with an additional 7.5% collected as social security tax. The employee's contribution and tax make up 60% of the total fund. The remaining funds are obtained through indirect taxes on alcohol and tobacco. France is introducing a uniform tariff system for all services.

There are two categories of medical practitioners: conventional and non-conventional. Conventional practitioners follow the standard rate, while non-conventional practitioners have the flexibility to determine their own rates. It should be noted that most health practitioners, including those in private practice, opt to charge the standard rate due to competition within the industry.

The reimbursement for services and prescribed medications is not uniform and is dependent on income level. The reimbursement rates vary based on the type of procedure: major surgeries are typically reimbursed at 95%, minor surgeries at 80%, pregnancy and childbirth at 95-100%, prescribed medicines with blue labels at 65%, prescribed medicines with white labels at 35%, x-rays at 70%, and GP/specialist consultations and treatment at 75-80%.

In 2013, the healthcare system in France combined universal coverage and a mix of public and private hospital and ambulatory care.

Compared to the United States, France's healthcare system provides a greater volume of services. Despite its imperfections, the French healthcare system demonstrates high health status indicators and consumer satisfaction. Additionally, its expenditures as a share of gross domestic product are lower than those in the United States. Patients in France have a wide range of choices among healthcare providers.

The modern French population is predominantly native-born and is made up of Celtic, Germanic, Latin, and Slavic ethnic groups. While most people speak French, other languages and dialects exist in peripheral areas like Basque, Alsatian, Corsican, Breton, Provencal,Catalan,and Flemish. Approximately 80% of the population identifies as Roman Catholic; however only a minority actively participates in church activities.Protestants make up less than 2% of the population while Jews account for around 1%,and approximately 4% are Muslims who migrated from former North African colonies.

(The People of France, 2013) The life expectancy in France for both males and females is 81.46 years, indicating the general quality of life and mortality across all age groups. Furthermore, the infant mortality rate in France stands at 3.4 deaths per 1000 births.

France has consistently been ranked as the number one place to live for five years in a row by International Living magazine due to its exceptional healthcare system and high quality of life. The leading cause of death in France is heart disease, closely followed by stroke. The Quality of Life Index, published annually by the magazine for 30 years, analyzes data on this subject. Additionally, the French population enjoys ample leisure time and regularly visits different beaches and Alpine ski resorts located within the country (Deane, 2010). It is important to highlight

that healthcare services are accessible to all individuals in France.

While healthcare is provided for those who are seriously ill in the United States, access to healthcare for the entire population is not guaranteed. Unlike many other developed countries, a significant number of people in the US do not have insurance coverage. Some individuals under 65 years old have insurance through their employer or family member, while others purchase health insurance independently. The absence of health insurance is believed to lead to around 48,000 deaths annually in the United States, which stands in stark contrast to France's healthcare system that often represents liberalism and pluralism.

The support of the medical profession for cost sharing and specific aspects of private practice, such as patient selection of physicians, freedom to choose practice location, clinical autonomy, and professional confidentiality can be attributed to liberalism. This ideology also explains why public and proprietary hospitals coexist in the hospital sector. In France, proprietary hospitals make up 27% of acute beds, while in the United States they account for 10.7%. The French acceptance of diversity in healthcare organizations is usually justified by the concept of pluralism. (Rodwin, 2003)

Despite the dominance of office-based solo practice in ambulatory care, there is also a presence of private group practices, health centers, occupational health services in large enterprises, and a strong public sector program for maternal and child health care. Additionally, public hospitals hold a significant share in hospital care, including teaching institutions that play a key role in medical education and research. However, opportunities still exist for physicians in private practice to have part-time hospital staff privileges in public hospitals (Rodwin, 2003). Both hospital care and

physician/clinical services account for half (51%) of the country's health expenditures. The French health care system is characterized by universal health care primarily funded by government national health insurance. Furthermore, around 77% of health expenditures are covered by government-funded agencies.

Every employed person in France must contribute a portion of their income to a health insurance fund, which helps share the financial responsibility for illness and provides different levels of reimbursement for medical expenses. The coverage extends to insured individuals' children and spouses as well. Each fund has the power to control its budget and determine the rate at which it reimburses medical expenses. Additionally, individuals with more severe illnesses receive reduced healthcare fees in France.

Despite having the highest per-person health care spending compared to other countries, the United States has low quality of health care according to certain measures. Health insurance coverage is obtained by approximately 84.7% of Americans through their employer or individually purchased.

Around 56.9% of Americans acquire health insurance via their employer, and approximately 32.3% depend on government programs (with some overlap in these percentages). It is crucial to highlight that not all Americans are covered by a single government health insurance company, and eligibility for government healthcare programs has limitations. Individuals with employer-provided health insurance might be obligated to contribute towards the insurance cost. Moreover, the employer usually chooses the insurance company and engages in negotiations on behalf of large groups.

Government programs directly cover 27.8% of the population. Macroenvironmental Influences Discuss external influences the need for, availability of, cost of and use of health care services: Political Socioeconomic Cultural Technological/Other relevant influences Analysis Grade weight of this section: 15% Summary Comments Summarize

and comment on the Problems, Opportunities, other issues you identified regarding this country's health care services system Compare to the United States: what works better, what is not working as well Offer concluding comments: Lessons learned for the U.S., other countries Grade weight of this section: 20%

Bibliography

1. French Health System - Health Care in France(2013) Retrieved 3/27/13 from http://www.french-property.com/guides/france/public-services/health/system-overview/
2. Healthcare in France- (2013) Retrieved 4/1/13 from http://www.allianzworldwidecare.com/healthcare-in-france
3. Shapiro, Joseph, July 2008, Healthcare Lessons From France, http://www.ehow.com/how_6217696_cite-website-author.

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Discover France.net/France/DF_people.shtml

Daniela Deane's article on CNN's website in February 2010 (http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/11/france.quality) asserts that France is considered the top destination for living.

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