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The Assessment of Medical Technology: The Case of France

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Caroline Weill ,
Francis Fagnani  and
Christian LeFaure
Caroline Weill
Affiliation:
INSERM
Francis Fagnani
Affiliation:
INSERM
Christian LeFaure
Affiliation:
INSERM
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Extract

The French health system is a complex organization that has developed since 1945 as the result of a subtle combination of two fundamental principles: liberal medicine — the freedom of both the consumers and the producers of care, and solidarity — universal access to health care — embodied in a quasi-generalized system of health insurance (4).

Today, this balance, to which the French are uncontestably dedicated, appears to be precarious. It has gradually become apparent that the financing system—80% of which is based on mandatory deductions and is intended to guarantee the balance between freedom of choice and universal access — is not consistent with the dynamic of health expenditures. The growing costs of care, as witnessed by the increase of health expenses as a percentage of total household expenses from 4.5% in 1950 to 13.3 in 1985, has led to increased state control over the health care system since 1975.

Type
Technology Assessment Reports
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , January 1989 , pp. 144 - 150
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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References

REFERENCES

1.Etienne, J. P., Chantereau, S., & Cordier, A.Planification hospitalière. Collection des rapports officiels. Paris: Documentation Française, 1986.Google Scholar
2.Fuehrer, R. Policy for medical technology in France. In Banta, H. D. & Kemp, K. B. (eds.), The management of health care technology in nine countries, vol. 7. New York: Springer, 1982.Google Scholar
3.Moatti, J. P., Fagnani, F., & Weill, C.The diffusion and use of diagnostic imaging equipment in France: The limits of regulation. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 1987, 3, 531–43.Google Scholar
4.Rodwin, V.The health planning predicament: France, Quebec, England, and the United States. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.CrossRefGoogle Scholar