Access to health care in France Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Access to health care in France - Research Paper Example The government through the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Security and several other government agencies manage the insurance scheme; it is a combination of a national insurance recognized and managed by the state and financed by the employer and employee tax contributions. The employees are affiliated from three insurance schemes but all members of the population are covered systematically (Latry et al., 2010, p. 743), prompting the World Health Organization to recognize the French healthcare system as the world’s best in year 2000. The French healthcare system has been effective in providing the necessary healthcare for most of its citizens but the health services provided by the system need review and limitations so that the costs could be covered by government funds. The French health care system is known as the General Scheme which provides the Social Security, and is a mix of universal ideals and the French cultural values of â€Å"solidarity and fairness† (Roth, 2010, p. 330). It is a public-private collaboration of hospital and ambulatory care, reinforced by higher resources of care and services. The General Scheme encompassed other areas of health, such as the health insurance component. The latest step of this system was the Universal Medical Coverage (Couverture mà ©dicale universelle: CMU) which took effect in 2000. The current health insurance scheme encompasses about 80% of the French population, including illegal immigrants. Also covered are the individuals from special groups, like miners, seamen, and railroad laborers, who protested for additional benefits a few years back (Roth, 2010, p. 330). The history of the French healthcare system goes all the way back to 1945 with the creation of the Social Security System, Securite Sociale, whose power and responsibilities encompassed management of funds for medical care, including retirement