Fact check: Does France offer world’s most generous health reimbursement?
It comes after a government spokesperson made the claim this week
France has one of the most generous healthcare reimbursement systems in the world
Andy Dean Photography/Shutterstock
A French government spokesperson has sparked debate after claiming that the country’s health insurance system offers “the best reimbursement in the world”. But is this true?
In fact, while France’s healthcare reimbursement is among the most generous in the world, it is not at the top of the leaderboard on reimbursement alone, states FranceInfo, after investigating the claim made by government spokesperson Maud Bregeon.
Ms Bregeon made the claim on TF1 on November 19 in defence of the government’s plans to cut reimbursement of medicines and consultations by 5%. She said that it was "important to remember “ that ”health insurance is still the system in the world that reimburses the most for all expenses combined. Nearly 80%."
Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq announced on November 18 that the reimbursement rate of medicine and consultations is likely to fall by 5% in 2025 as part of the government’s plans to make savings in the 2025 Budget. Senators began examining the bill this week.
Read also: French health minister proposes lower reimbursement of medicine
Read also: Why do some French GPs charge more than others?
Is the claim correct? Well, it depends…
However, Ms Bregeon’s claim has been shown to be partly incorrect, reports FranceInfo.
Her claim that the Assurance maladie (social security) reimburses almost 80% of healthcare costs is broadly correct if the calculation includes the extra financial help offered by local authorities to those on the lowest incomes the latest figures from health statistics bureau, DREES (Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics) show.
But France is not the most generous when it comes to state reimbursement alone the recent international comparison by DREES found. It shows that overall France ranks eighth among OECD countries with similar/comparable health insurance systems.
France comes behind:
Czechia (Czech Republic)
Luxembourg
Croatia
Cyprus
Slovakia
Germany
Austria
However, the differences are slight. The most generous health insurance, in Czechia, covers more than 85% of Czechs' healthcare costs, higher than France’s 80% figure.
All insurance and fees combined…
Depending on the calculation, Ms Bregeon’s claim is broadly correct.
When combined with private health insurance - sometimes also called top-up insurance, which covers any remaining extra healthcare charges after reimbursement - the French healthcare system is still among the most generous in the world.
Top-up or private insurance covers around 11% of the country's healthcare costs, figures show.
Read also: 7 points to consider when choosing top-up health insurance in France
Read more: Rising cost of French top-up insurance targeted by Senate report
DREES’ figures state that, with all factors and insurance types combined, those in France only pay 8.7% on average of the actual cost of their medicines and medical consultations.
When considered in this way, the French healthcare system is the most generous in the world.
In comparison to elsewhere in Europe those in Germany and the UK pay more than 12% of the costs of their healthcare once state reimbursement is taken into account. The European average is around 15%.
