BTW, I don't know what you've read but France IS considered as being a single-payer system of universal coverage. The departures from this are minimal.
I read, among other things, what you linked in a post to me.
"If a person subscribes to Sécurité sociale, part of the cost of their medical treatment is covered by the state. "
"<n>Even when you are affiliated to the French system a fundamental principle of healthcare funding in France is the element of personal contribution. To make up the difference between what the state pays and the cost of treatment, most French residents take out an insurance policy to cover the difference (complement)."
frenchentree.com
"Almost everyone in France is covered by one of three insurance schemes:"
I don't know who would "consider" that single payer. Sounds like a hodgepodge to me. Not as much of one as ours, but far from single payer.
Besides not being single-payer, it's not exactly universal, either.
"Doctors without Borders, for example, estimates that over 300,000 people in France are now, after the most recent "reforms," totally without health care coverage. "
thetyee.ca
Now, 300,000 is a small percentage of the population, but it seems to me that obviates the label, "universal." |
