Economic indicators of Medicine in France

French health care system is the third largest in the world in terms of cost: the cost of it is about 11% of GDP, and by this indicator France is second only to the U.S. (17% of GDP) and Switzerland (11.5%). The largest source of financing is the tax on wages. Employers pay for each employee a tax of 12.8% of his salary, and another 0.75% adds the employee - so the total tax rate on wages is 13.55%. In addition, the country has a universal social tax of 5.25% of revenue, for pensioners and those receiving unemployment benefits, it is reduced to 3.95%.

Thus, most of the French workers actually pays for health insurance 18.8% of revenue. Finally, the special taxes levied on income of tobacco, wines and spirits and pharmaceutical companies.

In theory, all of these dedicated revenues to provide funding for the system in its entirety. In fact, they are not enough to compensate for all the costs of this program. National Board of Health each year is the total budget of the health system across the country, but the actual costs always exceed those of orientation.

In 2006, the budget deficit of the French health care system amounted to 10.3 billion euros. In fact, this figure is not too bad, because in the previous year, the deficit was even higher - 11.6 billion euros. Healthcare - the largest volume of expenditure, not allowing balance the state budget as a whole - its deficit rose to 49.6 billion euros, or 2.5% of GDP, jeopardizing compliance with the French financial Maastricht criteria for the countries of the zone euro. Not possible, however, that it is - just the tip of the iceberg. According to the forecasts of some government departments, the budget deficit of only one of the health system could exceed € 29 billion by 2010 and reach 66 billion by 2020.

In general, insurance funds provide cover inpatient and outpatient treatment services to general practitioners and specialists, diagnostic tests, drugs, prescription, and home care. Most of the services covered by the insurance coverage, specifically listed in the regulations. However, there were some "indirect" benefits often leads to conflict on the question of what services are fully insured, and which - in part