Looking at France's Universal Care Program

The Wall Street Journal article France Fights Universal Care's High Cost, August 9, 2009, is worth reading, as it compares and contrasts France's system with the U.S., both as is and as proposed. Although the "fight" to control costs in France is ongoing, what is worth noting is they spend 11% of their GDP on health care services while the U.S. spends 16%. A notable difference is the level of compensation doctors get there, much lower than in the U.S.

A telling comment in the article summarizes the current debate in the U.S., "The French system's fragile solvency shows how tough it is to provide universal coverage while controlling costs, the professed twin goals of President Barack Obama's proposed overhaul."

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