The French Health Care System

A right to adequate healthcare is necessary for a society to flourish. According to Levinas ' explanation, businesses assume that self-interest drives human behavior and if people want health care that badly then they will pay what it costs (Degnim and Wood 2007 page 6).Yet, if someone cannot afford healthcare and are denied it, then they are being denied a human right. According to United Nations healthcare is considered a human right (United Nations Article 25 2014). Well, the denial of healthcare or inadequate healthcare for Americans is a complex problem today. Healthcare has not been accessible to all American citizens, at least not until recent changes were made to the healthcare system. On the other hand, Belgium has had universal coverage for its citizens long before America. A large part of Belgium 's healthcare is non private, unlike the USA. I will discuss the healthcare system of the USA and Belgium in terms of the four characteristics of a healthcare system: cost effectiveness, portability and choice, quality, and universal care. I will also discuss the American healthcare reform as an expansion of the former healthcare system.

Many would agree that a worthy, controlled health system, above all, should essentially contribute to good health. The responsibility of a health care system is that the organization of people, institutions, and resources deliver the health care services required and meet the health needs of focus populations. Another duty that the health care systems stimulate is the reduction of inequality to race, gender, social status and religion. Each health care system is different when looking at specific countries across the world, however some countries are more similar than others, such as France and Canada’s health care system. These two countries have numerous similarities when examining their health care systems, conversely that does not denote that both France and Canada are just as equivalent as the other. When observing countless aspects, such as longevity and infant mortality, as well as a lot of the inputs such as doctors or beds per capita, and of course the total expenditure on health as a percentage of GDP over the year, it is seen that France has a better and more enhanced health care system than Canada.

The healthcare systems of Switzerland and the United States are quite similar in some aspects and vastly different in others. In Switzerland, the healthcare is universal and available to all. It is provided by private individual insurance companies and subsidized by the government when needed. Basic health insurance is required to be purchased within 3 months of residency or after birth and is an individual’s choice as to what carrier they choose. Of course, there are exceptions to this mandate but they are very few.("Healthcare in Switzerland," “n.d.”, para. 1) Because of this requirement, 99.5% of the population in Switzerland has

According to World health organization (WHO), a state of social, mental and physical well-being and the absence of disease is defined as a health (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2016a). The main aim of healthcare system is to provide health services to the people including permanent residents, tourists, temporary, citizens and students. The primary purpose of a healthcare system is to promote, maintain and re-establish health. The Healthcare system of a country includes emergency care, diagnosis of diseases, health advancement and maintenance, treatment of chronic and acute term diseases ( Health Education and Training Institute, n.d). In the past, doctors were not well trained and paid and the access to GP’s was not affordable

A national health care system in the United States has been a contentious topic of debate for over a century. Social reformists have been fighting for universal health care for all Americans, while the opposition claims that a “social” heath care system has no place in the ‘Land of the Free’.

In the book on a citizens guidelines to policy and politics, Katherine Fierlbeck argues that “The 1983 Canada Health Act replaced the 1947 Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services act because of the shift from a system of 50-50 federal-provincial cost sharing to a system of block funding established in Ottawa in 1977” (Fierlbeck 2011, pg.20). Until the period of the mid 1980’s, the Canadian health care system is to be categorized in a disarray, having no foundation to components and accomplishment. The system is to rely mainly on cost sharing; whereby in a health insurance policy only a portion is paid by the health insurance. While enabling the insured party to pay a portion of the price of covered services. In this case, cost sharing is based on 50-50 provincial and federal cost-sharing agreement to a fault. By Ottawa giving tax transfers to the provinces in replacement of direct transfers, but the federal government had no capacity to conceal cash. This in return is able to affect provinces because it deprived the federal government effective, efficient, and responsive measure of provinces holding the five principles of the Canada health care. According to About Canada Health Care, Pat Armstrong and Hugh Armstrong speaks about the five principles of health care, which are; “Public administration, Comprehensiveness, Universality, Portability, and Accessibility” (Pat Armstrong & Hugh Armstrong 2008, pg.28). These five principles holds the provinces accountable to the

The Canadian health care system is funded majorly by the public, with very few private donations. Over the past few decades acts of large-scale philanthropy by wealthy private donors have started to increase, due to the investments in social programs and infrastructure from the government declining. Without the aid of private donors and large sources of income from outside of the public (government) the infrastructure of all hospitals, clinics, and the totality of western healthcare systems would collapse and ultimately fail as the system is set up presently. There is an opportunity of keeping a healthy and happy society sustained by public funds, as long as the government is able to step up and provide the healthcare system with enough funds, making the donations from philanthropists an excess instead of a necessity.

The first characteristic of the US health care system is that there is no central governing agency which allows for little integration and coordination. While the government has a great influence on the health care system, the system is mostly controlled through private hands. The system is financed publically and privately creating a variety of payments and delivery unlike centrally controlled healthcare systems in other developed countries. The US system is more complex and less manageable than centrally controlled health care systems, which makes it more expensive. The second characteristic of the US health care system is that it is technology driven and focuses on acute care. With more usage of high technology,

Finding a healthcare system that is beneficial and affordable for the country’s citizens is challenging and often seems impossible due to the high price of medical care and the broad spectrum of healthcare issues that insurance plans must cover. The debate of a healthcare system which is affordable, effective, and accessible for the majority of the population is a topic of great discussion. The United States and Switzerland health care systems are prime examples of this debate. The United States has The Affordable Care Act, or Obama Care as it is commonly known in Switzerland residents have a Universal Health Care System. While both systems provide health care to their residents, they each have good and less desirable aspects to them.

As some people were skeptical about the basis for the ranking, several studies were conducted, this time including “amenable mortality” in the criteria. France was first in the ranking. One good thing about France’s health care system is that everyone has health care. The country is also reported to rely on private and government insurance. Unlike the United States, France lets its citizens to have freedom in choosing hospitals, doctors, and care. Additionally, the health care system does not put much constrain on doctors with regards to making medical decisions. The same situation is evident on German health care system, where everyone has fully portable health insurance which comes with package of benefits. Like France, Germany lets its patients have freedom in choosing doctor and hospital during illness. A survey showed that patients and physicians in Germany are both satisfied with their health care system (Reinhardt, 1994, p.22).

My paper is comparing the healthcare system in France to the healthcare system we have in the United States. We need to look at France’s healthcare and other countries with universal healthcare and ask ourselves “Is it sustainable?” Is it feasible?” “Will it provide for those who don’t have insurance and help those that do?” The results show universal healthcare is usable, but there have to be guidelines, who it covers, what it covers, and what improvements need to be made to make it work. When other countries have been using universal healthcare for 60 + years, it shows there is hope for it in this country too. Healthcare is a growing problem, but it might become more of one if taxes are raised to cover the cost. France’s NHS

Wenzl, 2014). I selected France because it has the best health care system in the world

Canada is a country known for having high standards of health care with free access to all citizens. Despite this being a widely held idea, the reality is that marginalized groups are not experiencing the same standards of health care as other Canadian Citizens. Despite the fact that some researchers say racialization does not play a factor in the level of health care received by people (Guilfoyle 1512), Indigenous Peoples in Canada do not have equal access to the Canadian health care system due to the problems arising from long-standing systemic issues, barriers to access, widely accepted stereotypes, and a lack of cultural safety training.

The French and the United States have several differences in the health care system. However, there were two differences that struck me. One, the cost of services and no hidden fees. Price of services is transparent, and cost of care are consistent at every doctor’s office. “French patients are informed up front, down to the last hundredth of a euro, how much they will pay for each medical procedure (Reid, 2009).” In the U.S., patients never know how much care will cost them. The price will depend on your insurance coverage. Furthermore, it depends what the doctors or the hospital want to charge. Reid also states (Reid, 2009), “My visit, a “consultation for joint pain or stiffness,” was priced at 26, or $33.80. …Back home, a

Many view France’s healthcare system as ideal. This opinion was validated when the World Health Organization ranked it number one in overall healthcare (WHO 2000). Their structure is a multi-payer system which has both public and private sections. It is more