Yes “Oui” Can? Informing the Healthcare Debate: The French Example

[DuaneBidoux]

This is an excellent and succinct example of the French medical system from the perspective of an American who is using it.

I have used it as I worked in France for a number of years. There is one part of the French system that I find really great that he does not talk about: Both nurses and doctors make house calls and are allowed to dispense prescription drugs at your home directly from a cabinet that exists in the van they drive. I find this incredibly efficient and it must save a ton of money.

<http://www.scoop44.com/2009/09/07/yes-oui-can-informing-the-healthcare-debate-the-french-example>

Oh, and he does talk about some of the drawbacks--which is why I call it a fairly honest article.

[Craftsman]

1. French gov't to tackle surging health care deficit

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/09/07/eline/links/20090907elin017.html

[DuaneBidoux]

3. Referring to Reuters for info is like referring to the WSJ--unreliable and always

tinged with ideology.

I think the student's article did make the point however that the system is far from perfect. Notice that a big way the article was absent was in saying that it was the most expensive. They don't even compete with us.

And France's outcomes are far better than ours and I believe that is the ultimate metric.

[grantcart]

4. they have a money deficit but not a health deficit -- we have both

[DuaneBidoux]

5. but for news Reuters is no better than Fox or WSJ

[Laelth]

2. Unfortunately, it seems that the only way to get there is to crank up the guillotine.

In America, the people fear the government. In France, the government fears the people.

Until our leaders are afraid of us, they will keep selling out our interests to the highest bidders (usually large corporations with lots of money budgeted to bribe Congress).

I can not advocate a bloody revolution against our oligarchs, but we might be in better shape if we had gone through such a revolution a couple hundred years ago.

:dem:

-Laelth


Edit:Laelth--sloppy proofreading.