Publication: Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development : Country Summary Report for France
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2014-08
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2014-12-16
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Situated in Western Europe, France is a high-income country with a gross national income (GNI) above $40,000 per capita. While the overall picture of health status is good, France contains apparent contradictions. Life expectancy is overall better than in many European countries, but premature male deaths remain high due to accidents, smoking, and alcoholism. Social and geographic inequalities in health are substantial, to the disadvantage of the northern parts of metropolitan France and overseas departments and territories. The French system largely relies on Bismarckian-based Statutory Health Insurance (SHI), established after the Second World War. Universal coverage was fully achieved in 2000 when a new law (Universal Medical Coverage Act, or CMU by its French acronym) expanded coverage to noncontributory low-income groups. Financial sustainability of the model has been a recurrent concern over the last three decades. Recent shifts in the funding model and the introduction of spending targets and efficiency measures have injected some flexibility to the system.
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“Barroy, Helene; Or, Zeynep; Kumar, Ankit. 2014. Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development : Country Summary Report for France. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20727 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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