As the United States fights for a universal health care system, many have looked to the Canadian health care system as a model. Only a few have looked to France. That is a mistake for at least 2 reasons.

First, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), France has the best health care system in the world. It has been widely reported that the WHO found the French system to be number 1, while the Canadian system is number 30 and the US system number 37.

It should be noted here that the WHO classifications actually contain multiple classifications and the numbers generally cited are the classification based on the measure that the WHO calls OP classification. OP is said to measure “overall performance” adjusted to reflect a country’s performance based on how well it could have performed theoretically. When reporting classifications of 1 for France, 30 for Canada, and 37 for the United States, the OP classification is used.

Why did the French system fare so well in the WHO classification? The French system excels in 4 areas:

• Provides universal coverage
• Has responsive healthcare providers
• Patients have freedom of choice
• The health and longevity of the population.

Second, we should take a closer look at the French system because it has more similarities to the American system than the Canadian or British system. Many Americans assume that the French system is like Britain’s system. Nothing could be further from the truth or more insulting to the French.

Exactly like in the United States, the French system is based on both private insurance and government insurance. Also, just like in the United States, people generally get their insurance through their employer. What is different is that everyone in France has health insurance. Every legal resident of France has access to medical care under the universal coverage law called universal health coverage.

In the French system, health insurance is a branch of Social Security or the Social Security. The system is financed primarily through the imposition of taxes on workers’ employees. An employee in France will pay around 20% of his salary to finance the Social Security. These taxes represent approximately 60% of the cost of the health insurance plan.

The balance of the financing comes from the self-employed, who pay more than salaried employees, and from indirect taxes on alcohol and tobacco. Finally, additional taxes are levied against other income, both direct and indirect.

The French share the same dislike of restrictions on patient choice as the Americans. The French system relies on self-employed private physicians rather than a British-style national health service. The French are very dismissive of the British system which they call “socialized medicine”. Virtually all doctors in France participate in the nation’s public health insurance, Social Security.

Perhaps it is time for us to take a closer look at French ideas on health care reform.