The French Health Care System

The accessible bloom allowance affairs in France was accustomed in 1945 and its advantage for its affiliates accept undergone abounding changes back then. One of the above changes has resulted in the amplification to all acknowledged residents, beneath the law of accepted advantage alleged la couverture maladie universelle (universal bloom coverage). It is based on the assumption of solidarity, guarantying banking aegis adjoin life´s contingencies for everyone.

Originally, able action (being in employment) was the abject of the allotment and allowances of the French accessible bloom allowance arrangement accepted as the Sécurité Sociale (social security). The capital armamentarium covers eighty percent of the population. There are two added funds for the self-employed and agronomical workers.

Reimbursement is adapted through compatible rates. The costs is accurate by employers, agent contributions, and claimed assets taxes. The alive citizenry has twenty percent of their gross bacon deducted at antecedent to armamentarium the amusing aegis system.

The addition of costs through claimed assets taxes has gradually added and its purpose is to accomplish up for the abatement in remuneration, abate bulk changes on the action bazaar and admeasure the system´s costs a allotment of citizens equitably.

Employer and abutment federations accordingly ascendancy the funds beneath the State´s supervision. This involves an intricate accord amid the assorted entities of the system.

About seventy 5 percent of the absolute bloom expenditures are covered by the accessible bloom allowance system. A allotment of the antithesis is paid anon by the patients and the added allotment by clandestine bloom allowance companies that are assassin alone or in accumulation (assurance complémentaire or mutuelle, commutual allowance or alternate fund).

The State

The Accompaniment sees that the accomplished citizenry has admission to care; it dictates the types of affliction that are reimbursed, and to what degree, and what the role is of the altered accommodating entities.

The Accompaniment is in allegation of attention patient´s rights, elaborating behavior and administration them. It is amenable for accessible safety.

Health authorities plan the admeasurement and numbers of hospitals. They adjudge on the bulk and allocation of abstruse accessories (such as MRI, CT scans…). Through its agencies, the Accompaniment organizes the accumulation of specialized wards and secures the accouterment of affliction at all times.

In contempo years, bounded authorities accept taken a growing role in authoritative and negotiation.

Hospitals

There are two accepted categories:

• The accessible sector, which accounts for 65% of hospital beds. Accessible hospitals are amenable for bartering advancing care, teaching and training.
• Private hospitals are accumulation oriented. They administer on surgical procedures and depend on their fee-for-service for funding.

There is no cogent aberration in the superior of affliction amid accessible and clandestine hospitals.

In France, there are 8.4 hospital beds per 1,000 people.

Health Professionals

Health professionals and physicians usually plan in both accessible hospitals and clandestine practices. About 36 percent of physicians plan in accessible hospitals or establishments. They are in aspect accessible servants, and the bulk they are paid is bent by the government. However, 56 percent of physicians plan in clandestine practices because of the difficult alive altitude in hospitals.

Experts set the about bulk of procedures that are again adjourned by physicians' unions and accessible bloom allowance funds. Around ninety seven percent of practitioners accommodate to the Tarif de assemblage (tariff references) which sets prices. Assessment references are the anchored ante to be acclimated by doctors set by the civic assemblage for all bloom services. Medical practitioners and clinics/hospitals who are not conventions(complying with the assessment references) accept to affectation their prices.

In some situations, assertive medical practitioners (such as surgeons with added abilities or experience) can allegation added than the Tarif de convention. The added fee is alleged a dépassement.

There are 3.37 physicians per 1,000 people.

There was a ameliorate in July of 2005 which put in abode a action of accommodating care. The accommodating aboriginal visits his/her médecin traitant (general practitioner). This physician has been ahead registered at the caisse d´assurance sociale as the one in allegation of the allocation of affliction for the patient. In case the physician or his acting is unavailable, the accommodating can argue addition physician and acquaint his/her caisse d´assurance - this does not affect his/her alms reimbursement. The accommodating is chargeless to change to addition accepted practitioner but has to address the change.

The médecin correspondant (correspondent doctor) is the physician to whom the accommodating has been referred and is usually a specialist. With the approval of the patient, this physician sends the accordant advice to the médecin traitant in adjustment to chase up and alike care.

Several specialists accept absolute approval for casual on advice accordant to care, such as gynecologists, ophthalmologists and psychiatrists.

The annual of gynecologists, ophthalmologists and dentists are covered by the Accompaniment after a barometer by amédecin traitant (the accommodating does not accept to go to his/her Accepted Practitioner first).

The accommodating has to present his agenda alleged "Carte Vitale" which transmits all affairs to the caisse d' affirmation area he/she is registered. All medical procedures (hospitalization, class tests, x-rays…) accept to yield abode in the belt of his/her caisse d´assurance. However, the accommodating can buy medicines anywhere in France and accept the agreement after deposited on his/her coffer account, usually aural a ten-day-period.

An boilerplate of 70 percent of the bulk of a appointment to a ancestors doctor or specialist is refunded. Reimbursements are on boilerplate of: 95 percent for a above surgery, 80 percent for accessory surgery, 95 to 100 percent for abundance and childbirth, 70 percent for x-rays, accepted dental affliction and nursing affliction at home. Reimbursements for assigned medicines depend on the blazon of medication and ambit from 15 percent to 65 percent.

The allotment that is to be paid by the accommodating and not reimbursed by the Sécurité sociale is alleged admission modérateur. This atom varies afterward anniversary individual´s binding administration set by the assessment references allocated to assorted medical treatments and associated fees encountered.

A accommodating can accept 100 percent advantage beneath assertive conditions, such as accepting a abiding or astute medical action (including cancer, insulin-dependent diabetes, affection disease…), acute abiding care, accepting a abiding condition, acute a hospital break of added than 30 days.

Beneficiaries of the RMI (revenu minimum d´insertion, minimum acquirement of introduction) are automatically affiliated to the amusing aegis system. They are several requirements to qualify, but about every acknowledged citizen in France who acquire beneath than a assertive bulk are advantaged to this banking aid. As anon as they are affiliated, they aswell advantaged to the bloom coverage. Those individuals are advantaged to a 100 percent agreement of medical and hospital costs.

Complementary Insurance

Since bloom bulk is growing in France, there has been advancing affair about the arrears of theSécurité Sociale and governments accept been absorbed to abate the bulk of reimbursement. As a result, added individuals are axis to l´assurance complémentaire (complementary insurance). This bloom allowance covers all or allotment of the costs not reimbursed by the bloom system.

The commutual allowance offers an all-encompassing ambit of plans. The accommodating has to baddest the one that is best ill-fitted to his bearings and needs to yield into application his/her accompaniment of health, medical consumption, family, assets and abode of residence.

Expatriates in France

Since 2007, there accept been some changes for EU citizens residing in France, introducing restrictions in their admission to the bloom affliction system. This affects abeyant individuals (not in employment) that do not accept a able action (not working) or are searching for work, or students. The acumen for those limitations is that France has to accommodate to the European association rules, like the added countries in the community. The new altitude of the appropriate of break accept absolute after-effects on the amusing allowances in France.

Right of break for abeyant abode (not in employment) depends on two conditions:

• They charge to accept a reasonable akin of assets in adjustment not to become a accountability for the State.
• They charge to accept bloom coverage.

The altitude for abeyant EU association already active on France afore November 2007 abide the same.

Students and retired humans charge to accept medical coverage. Acceptance usually accept medical advantage from their country of agent or through the French Amusing Aegis for students; this applies to acceptance beneath 28 years of age. Retired individuals, in a lot of cases accept bloom allowance from the country area they worked.

If an EU citizen becomes ailing and does not accomplish those two altitude and has been residing in France for beneath than three months, this being is advantaged to dispositif soins burning (emergency affliction accessory ). If the being has been residing for added than three months, he/she is advantaged to l´Aide Médicale d´Etat (state medical aid).

Inactive EU association can accept the couverture maladie universelle (universal bloom coverage) accepted as CMU if they are acknowledged association (stable and uninterrupted).

CMU de base (basic CMU) 

Basic CMU helps anyone active in France who is not covered by addition blazon of allowance get admission to medical affliction and agreement of casework and medication. Humans from all levels of assets are advantaged to it. The amalgamation is not automated and the being has to administer for it. It covers allotment of the medical casework for the acknowledged citizen and the humans in his/ her household. It covers about seventy percent of a doctor's visit.

CMU complémentaire (complementary CMU) 

Complementary CMU facilitates admission to bloom affliction for humans with low assets residing in France for added than three months, in a abiding and ceaseless manner. These individuals accept one hundred percent advantage after beforehand transaction for the bloom casework or medication (they are absolutely covered, no money upfront needed). The assets of the individual´s domiciliary accept to not beat a best amount. The apron or accomplice of the individual, as able-bodied as the audience beneath 25 years of age are aswell included in this coverage. It is renewable on a annual basis.

If a being is a adopted national, alfresco EU affiliate states or Switzerland, he/she accept to absolve their appropriate of abode in France in adjustment to accretion appropriate to the Accompaniment healthcare.

After 5 years of acknowledged abode all EU nationals accretion abiding appropriate of abode and accordingly become absolutely advantaged to the CMU.

Any EU departer not clearly retired (under retirement age), not working, and not accepting lived in France for added than 5 years will lose their appropriate to the French accompaniment healthcare except for those who accept been active in France back afore November of 2007.

Life assumption in France topped 80 years in 2004. The French bloom affliction annual is absolutely cher to maintain, but it charcoal one of the best in the world, alms a ample best of accepted practitioners and healthcare specialists.

Original commodity date: 27 June 2004

Article updated: 8 June 2009