Your vidéos must be declare as "national public Interest" by french government. I'm french (born and living in Paris), it's make me remember as France is a beautiful country and how we must be thankful to our elders who built it and fight for it.
It's funny to see that the channel is dedicated to Americans who want to move to France, and in the end it's watched by French people who want to know how Americans assess and judge their health education system, a kind of therapy to combat the usual gloom in France. Thank you to our American friends for bringing us their optimism and open-mindedness.
Bonjour! Our own system is so broken and inhumane, how could I not be optimistic about starting over in your beautiful country? Your kind words - calling us friends and offering thanks - warm my heart and make me feel so much less fearful about beginning a new life there.
Victim of a motorcycle accident more than 10 years ago, months of hospitalization, several surgeons specializing in several 10-hour operations, ambulances, a full year of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, I have not paid a single euro, except for the TV in my hospital room, Crazy ! I am happy to have been born in France, we rarely measure the luck of having a system like this one.
Profitez en, ça ne durera malheureusement pas. Il n'y aura bientôt plus assez de richesses produites pour alimenter le système. Personnellement, je diversifie en souscrivant une assurance privée.
Rien à voir avec la production de richesse, la France est toujours un pays qui produit énormément de richesses. Par contre, l'argent est de moins en mois bien redistribué et les services publics s'effondrent au profit de ceux qui n'en ont pas besoin. "En 25 ans, la part des 10 % les plus pauvres dans l’ensemble des revenus recule, tandis que celle des 10 % les plus riches augmente. Ces derniers ont connu une progression 7,6 fois plus massive de leurs revenus annuels que les premiers." Il suffit de regarder les rapports de l'Oxfam, de l'Observatoire des Inégalités, etc. Et puis, pour un pays qui "produit pas assez de richesse", c'est quand même ironique que la plus grande fortune du monde soit un français. Il y a énormément d'argent, en France. Le problème c'est qu'il circule pas, et qu'il est complètement vampirisé depuis 20 ans, justement parce que les intérêts privés rongent les intérêts publics pour se rapprocher d'un modèle américain où c'est "chacun pour soi" et où la solidarité nationale n'existe pas. Le PIB augmente en France depuis 1975 (avec le premier choc pétrolier). Alors oui, pas toujours au même rythme, parfois ça progresse vite comme au début des années 2000, parfois ça progresse tout doucement, comme maintenant. Mais y a quand même une augmentation globale du PIB. Penser qu'on ne produit pas assez de richesses, c'est le mythe qu'on essaye de nous faire avaler pour continuer d'assassiner nos services publics, mais c'est complètement faux.
@@richardcadena7746nah he’s just the average French guy…😂. My 11 y.o. Is grumpy like his French papi, unlike his Canadian grand-père. Grumpiness and unhappiness comes with it. They are just like that.
I had a hospital stay about 8 years ago, here in Scotland. It was about three weeks. At the end of it, not only did I pay nothing for my treatment, but the hospital paid for the taxi to take me home.
En faite les cotisations sur nos fiches de paies, je le considère commes de l avance le jour on j en aurais besoin, il me seront rendus, retraite, maladie, caf, chômage.... et pis ca permet d aider d autres personnes bien plus dans la galère que moi! Et de ça je suis fière 😉
@@Stephane1-md7br bah clairement, avec l’inflation et tout, je suis heureux de bien gagner ma vie mais j’imagine ceux qui n’arrivent à finir le mois. C’est bien de les aider aussi et s’assurer que tous les français aient au moins le minimum pour vivre une vie normale. J’aime bien notre système.
As a french citizen I must thank you for reminding me that I and my fellow grumpy citizens (and you now) , are so lucky to live in a country who takes care of everyone, even if it costs a lot of taxes to us and it's still not perfect.
It is Indeed not perfect but according to thé WHO it is the best healthcare system worldwide. And sûre we pay taxes for that. But at least out taxes benefit us. They also cver education for example, among many other things. In thé US if you add federal, state and local taxes, health insurance, medical bills, prescription drugs, they actually spend much more. For terrible outcomes. The American healthcare system ranks last on thé OECD accessibility and affordability ranking.
it's not luck. Don't forget that it was our very grumpy elders who fought to have what we have. Grumpy of course because it is not with smiles that we obtain anything.
As a French person who works a lot, I contribute with my very high taxes to take care of people who do nothing. and contrary to what is said, medicine is not good, it is very difficult to find doctors because they are not paid enough in this system therefore not enough vocations. During covid we were helped by Cuban doctors 🤭 there is a happy medium between the American liberal system and the French communist system
I am French and live now in Burgundy after years in Oregon. Just fell down the stairs last week and broke ribs in 5 places. The ambulance, the scan, emergency room docs, the meds, x-rays, etc...zero euros. Having been operated several times in the US, and fought over medical bills each time, delays, etc, I know that France is the place to be sick...and healthy..There is no other place for me in the world but ma Douce France.
That's not a french thing. It is probably normal all over Europe. I live in Austria and here it is exactly the same. Last time I was in the hospital with my son and he got the full program of axaminations. Half way through he said, that we would be broke now, if we lived in the US. So after 4 hours, seeing 5 different doctors, having lung x-ray, head CT and many mor expensive examinations, I just had to pay €2,- for the parking lot. The beauty of that system is, that people who earn less money, do pay less for health insurance but get the same treatment.
Also true for Canada. Universal healthcare is the NORM for the G7, or the G20. Except for the good old USA, the supposedly greatest country in the world!
This video really touched me. In fact, it made me cry. The stress of having to pay the exorbitant costs for medical care in the US is a nightmare. The stress takes a physical toll and with that kind of stress the condition only gets worse.
tokkyo : " u just need to find a job"..... like if it was easy!! but its the fastest way to be registered at the French social security!! today u can find easily a job in tourism,restaurants, hotels but they are not easy jobs! A good way to "put a foot" in the country nevertheless...
In another video, our friends explain how quality of life in France (in Europe, I would add, since I’m Italian) is much more made about being free from such stress, rather than hoarding money and goods, as it often happens in the US.
I’m French and retired. I’ve contributed all my life to Sécurité sociale and a mutuelle. I made very few visits to doctors for most of my life. But three years ago, I was diagnosed with a cancer of the prostate. Everything went very fast: I had surgery (robot assisted), a week in hospital (yes, the food was awful!), countless checks and lab and so on, all covered by the ALD. I don’t even know how much the system had to pay as except for a few euros (maybe 200), nothing came from my pocket. And my younger brother suffered from an hepatitis. He had a liver transplant 10 years ago, a few months in intensive care due to some complications in a top hospital in Marseille, incredibly expensive antiviral drugs… I cannot figure out what the real cost of this procedure is (including the helicopter to bring the replacement liver from who knows where) All taken care of by the ALD. I doubt he had to pay more than 1000 euros for optional extras. So I don’t complain when I have to pay a mandatory 2 euros each time I go to the doctor (the so-called reste à charge, which has doubled recently.
@@AnnM223 Organ transplants are paid 100% for everything, directly to the hospital. But there is no priority. There is a list of potential receivers, whose identities are hidden from the regulating authority (France Transplant). They are ranked according to multiple criteria (age, family, biological data, ...) and when a donor is "available", the organ is sent for transplant to the first compatible receiver (who then ceases to be anonymous, of course). The identity of the deceased donor remains hidden. Until the last minute, nobody knows who is going to receive the organ. It's a triple-blind system. My brother had to keep his essential belongings with him, the transplant was performed with a half-day notice. He is doing well to this day. Without a liver transplant, he would have died 10 years ago...
All the best for you! I hope you recover to the best possible for your situation. As an elderly man, i can relate to your situation! Not having to worry about money must be a great support for someone who has problems enough at the moment..
That is a reason why Breaking Bad couldn't have taken place in France. Medical expenses for cancer are fully reimbursed. So, it will have been just a TV series about a teacher. Wait ... That should explain the scenario of so much French TV series 😀 Thank you Baguette Bound for your videos. It is so useful to have an outside viewpoint on our country and to realize that, at the end, "Pas mal non ? C'est français".
@@safedreams6241and that s why we have our own cinema industry and music industry. State protection and financement. Thanks socialism for building those french industries.
@@etienne8110 a cinema of poor quality that the French do not go to see...France does not subsidize French music, it imposes quotas on radios and it is therefore the private sector which subsidizes French-speaking production rather than French because they speak French with difficulty. what you describe is just a dictatorship because the State imposes all this on the people and they pay very dearly for it. a small minority are happy about it like you
I spent two years in high school in Paris. One of my friends there became an MD and married a neurologist. One of their daughters recently attended medical school. Medical school in France is quite different than in the US in some ways. The big difference is that med school in France costs something like 2,000 euros per year in tuition. No one leaves medical school in deep debt, unlike in the US where the average debt load on completion is over $200,000. You start medical school straight out of high school. It's competitive to be admitted, but not highly competitive like US med schools. Apparently the first year is really, really hard and this is where they weed people out. Lots of students drop out or get pushed out based on how well they do. France, like every other country in the world other than the US, produces more generalist physicians than the US. Counter intuitively, this produces better health care results. Primary care is more important than specialist care and less expensive. So France produces physicians who aren't deeply in debt, covers every one who lives in France for far lower costs and produces better health outcomes. It's frequently rated the best health care system in the world.
Thats why there are more rich people in the US than in France. US needs to get rid of ideology and start paying attention to politics. But that's a lot to ask for a so religious country.
Thank you for this great video! A key thing to understand the low cost of Mutuelle that you might not now, is that by law they cannot be for-profit organisations! They have to be “à but non lucratif”. They are private organisations that solely exist to organise solidarity between their members, by having everyone contributing and then covering anyone who needs it. Once you remove the need to give dividend to shareholders and the motive to squeeze everything to increase your profit, it changes everything!
As a french guy, I am quite happy to see that other people from other places appreciate our "social security system" and its positive outcomes. Remember that we pay a lot on our salaries for this. For instance, when I made 3 000 Euros a month, my boss payed ca. 5 500 euros, 3 000 for me, and 2 500 for the various social protections, i.e. health, loss of jobs, retirement... And out of these 3 000, I payed about 18% in extra contribution for the above cited benefits. We want to keep this system working for the benefit of most of us, and that's why the trade unions and other various composants of the society are often fighting, resulting in social mouvements and strikes.
Thank you for that! In the US they deduct a lot for Medicare and Social Security from our checks, but do not provide quality health care to people who need it. When you retire you still pay for medical services 😮
Je n'ai rien contre ce couple et je leur souhaite de vivre heureux en France mais si on regarde la "big picture" le fait qu'il y ait de plus en plus de personnes venant de pays étrangers riches (US, UK, etc) qui viennent s'installer en France n'est pas une bonne chose et montre que notre pays est en déclin économique. La France devient un peu comme le Maroc ou le Portugal pour les retraités français.
Il faut dire que, on a jamais été autant imposé et ça n'a jamais été autant le bordel il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas, notre pays doit reprendre sa souveraineté
@@NihumeIl ne faut pas exagérer. La qualité des soins de santé à l'hôpital, par exemple, suit les progrès technologiques et ne cesse de s'améliorer. Et, forcément, ça a un coût.
If you're an employee, there also some dedicated center with doctor you must see regulary (maybe every 2/3 years). It's called "la médecine du travail". The main goal is to make sure you're healthy enough to do your work and help you if you have health problems. It's totally free of charge and those doctors can help you like any regular doctor. They can even see you more often if they have a good reason. For instance I had one of those visit in April, the next one is in July. Few years ago, the doctor related to my work helped me so much by being the one to identify why I what always exhausted (I was able to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence). He addressed me to the right specialist and used his relation to avoid any delay to schedule a visit with the appropriate specialist. Thanks to this doctor my life turned from being a zombie to an absolutely normal life in few weeks.
Hey! I recently stumbled on your channel. Very interesting, I wish more US citizens would subscribe. It amazes me how few Americans seem to know about this. Most of the industrialized countries offer such benefits to everyone. I’m from Canada and about 40 minutes away from the US and we have free healthcare and education. I don’t understand why such a great country as the USA doesn’t offer healthcare and education to everyone. Keep educating your fellow Americans maybe things can change.
I'm a type 2 diabetic and I know how lucky I am to live in my country. I'm also very happy to pay my taxes :) Historically, social security was the brainchild of our resistance fighters (CNR: Conseil National de la Résistance) during the Second World War. The idea is SOLIDARITY towards our sick and elderly (retirement). Long live Jean Moulin (he unified the French Resistance) and General De Gaulle (father of the 5th Republic, among others...). From Cambrai (North of France)
Early on in our life in France my husband needed emergency abdominal surgery - scans, surgeon, intensive care, follow up. The surgeon said there would be an out of pocket payment. I cringed, thinking of a really huge out of pocket payment in another country of residence (not USA) - we had to raid the pension fund to pay. When he said €12 I nearly fell off the chair. We also paid €50 per day for a private room (you don't have to opt for that). So the Carte Vitale plus our Mutuelle covered over 90%. Cataract surgery is similar. Dentistry: I paid €1200 out of pocket for one implant. For regular check ups with 180° x-ray the out of pocket is very low. A Mutuelle insurance is well worth it. Also, as you get older and can't drive the Assurance Maladie will pay your transport costs to specialists by VSL-Véhicule Sanitaire Léger (taxi-ambulance).
Not even that. If you are in one of those ALD cases, chances are you 'll be transported by a medical taxi for free (a normal taxi who has an agreement with the system).
Hi american friends. Very happy that you can, as a family, enjoy the french way of living, and most of all, settle down in our beautiful country. May be some of your fellow citizens will realize that French do things differently sometimes, but it is not automatically stupid ou less efficient. Soyez les bienvenus, nous sommes contents de vous voir heureux en France. Arnaud de Brest (Atlantic coast, Brittany)
Excellent video! Thank you. As Americans experiencing the US health care system (as an employee, student, professor, and now retiree), we have received unpredictable bills: $8,500 full body MRI with our deductible being $500, which astounded our neurologist and primary bc they do not know the costs; dental procedures costing us $500-$2,500 for root canals, fillings, bridges, implants; and scary weekend dentists charging as much without the clean office. It's crazy! My wife's MS has brought us up close and personal with the American way of [mis]treating patients. The France medical system is beautiful! We look forward to applying for the Long Stay Visa (after our PDX condo sells) and moving to France. I reached out to a French neurologist (and scholar) who responded to my email with copious amounts of links and advice about which areas of France are better suited for someone with Multiple Sclerosis. In the US I aggressively argued with Social Security for Cindy to receive disability: lawyers, politicians, and exams later, almost 3 years of in-court fighting. Ridiculous! Your videos are very helpful!!!! Merci! Dean & Cindy
It hurts my heart so much to see all the problems you have just because your partner has a long-term illness. Thank you for your testimony and I look forward to your coming to our country for your care! Good luck to you! How can the world's leading power allow its citizens to die? pfff
@@rany_bttb Bonjour! My greetings to my students in the States and in Lviv: Welcome back! Bienvenue à vous ! ❤ Merci. Dean et Cindy *We sold our condo and our Visa interview is on December 2nd. Our Perpignan Airbnb is from Jan 1-April 2!
Yes, it's certain that for an average American the French health system seems fabulous, especially for a man like Jason with diabetes, but all this didn't happen with the wave of a magic wand, it was years of struggles, strikes, political battles, it has been going on since 1936 and the French have fought to get there. I often hear “the French are the kings of strikes and social movements”. Yes, that is true but all of us as a people have and continue to fight for these benefits. We elect our government but when we disagree with it we know how to make it understood and not always peacefully (Louis XVI could have testified).😉 ((If he had kept his head on his shoulders)).
The protest culture in France is a beautiful part of the democracy here. Sometimes, I hear people say the French complain a lot, but I disagree. You don't create someplace incredible like France by being satisfied with the status quo. I see the French "complaining" as not settling!
@@BaguetteBound For our President of the Republic we are "refractory and complaining Gauls" which for him is an "insult" but which for us, Gauls is an honorary title, proud of our ancestors and their combative and rebellious spirit.
Our health system is no longer the result of social struggles. But rather experts. It was built around 3 main stages: initially more on an insurance model by companies after social struggles (19th century), then insurance on a national scale after the 2nd World War with the payment of social contributions on pay slips. (it is the fruit of the republican ideals of the resistance fighters), then a totally universal system with financing by tax at the beginning of the 90s (the fruit of the experts to ensure national solidarity). The two main models of social protection are those of Bismark in Germany and Beveridge in England. The French system is mixed. It was that of Bismark which more and more resembles that of Beveridge.
@@BaguetteBound Precisely! We don't complain just to complain - it's a way of keeping people accountable, not settling for mediocre conditions, and ensuring that our quality of life doesn't erode as fast as it seems to do elsewhere. (And honouring the people who made said quality of life possible after long struggles.)
@@brunomathon2279 Mmm : "no longer the result of social struggles" doesn't sound right, "not the result of social struggles", may be ? But anyway, the survivance (or not) of it will be the result of social struggles. (and it's Bismarck, with a "c") :) (sorry I'm french, can't resist correcting)
After watching some American videos on European health systems, I think it is very difficult for them to understand what underlies such systems. They all come to the same question: how much does it cost? This is not the right question, we don't care about the cost. In our republican motto we have the word fraternity, which we will simplify here by solidarity (fraternity has a slightly more complex sense). A universal health system is a system of solidarity of the rich towards the poor and of the healthy towards the sick. The more money you earn the more you pay, even if you are healthy, and everyone has the same access to care. The right question is therefore: do we want a society of solidarity or a society of each one for himself? We must first decide for this eminently political question, then the costs problems will be resolved on a way or another. Congratulations for your videos. Yours efforts for integrate the french society and your optimism worth respect.
Your collectivism is touching. And although I want a NHS of some type from Taxes, we take in millions of illegals, immigrants, underclass etc. Plus we are pushing 350 million. Each State is different and they have the power to set up their own System. We rely on Jobs, Careers, or you buy your own. America has top tier Medical, the only reason it is rated bottom is because it is too complicated and Expensive. BTW people still come here to be successful and soar to potential not to have everything equal.
I’m from Houston! Or rather I’ve lived here for years!! Moving to a town in France (Aquitaine) called Montmorillon, about a half hour southeast of Poitiers. I bought my townhome from another American, coincidentally, but via Leggett International, which has many English speaking (native Brits) agents-all a very smooth experience. Using my new (old) place as a vacation home for a couple of years as I transition to perm residence. I grew up in Europe and studied in the French university system (Paris IV) as an undergrad (jr yr abroad), in Paris. So I speak French passably well. 😊 love your videos!!
Most medical care personel in the world are underpaid only the big pharmaceutical companies , CEO's of these companies make big big money . Unfortunately most people don't understand , care or think about these health care professionals UNTIL something happens to them or any of their loved ones . That sucks big time but that's the way the world works ! C'est de la merde!
Amazingly, for all we pay in the US, doctors have such high overhead that they are drowning as well. They commonly leave med school with $200k in school debt and pay massive amounts for malpractice insurance and being a part of the AMA every year (which is ironic since I have yet to have any dr in the US not commit malpractice with me).
I am very happy to know that you can treat your diabetes with peace of mind. Like the vast majority of French people, I think it is normal for vital care to be fully covered by social security. The right to live in good health is a fundamental right in France, and I am proud of it. There is also a law in France and in the European countries of the Sheingen area that allows to have a visa for medical reasons, for foreign people suffering from a disease for which no treatment is available in their country of origin and this includes all kinds of surgeries. And I’m proud of that, too. Do you know that when you pay you can ask your doctor for the "tiers payant". This allows you to pay only the non-refundable portion. And so most of the time you will not pay anything at all. ;-)
I'm French and I also love paying my taxes (although for cultural purposes I have to complain about it sometimes) ^^ one thing that makes it easy to love is also that, pending being an employer or self employed, most of it is calculated automatically by the tax administration
Lol, I love you mentioned complaining for cultural purposes. We didn't understand when we first arrived, complaining about things like prices, bureaucracy, etc. These are just how people bond. We would meet someone new and they would start complaining about something to us and our optimistic American selves were confused. Now we understand this is just participating in a nation sport. 😂
@@BaguetteBound and not forgetting that always complaining about everything is what made the french healthcare system what it is today (and other things too). It can be buthersome but it is usefull because things can always be better! Loved the video have a nice day
I recently had heart issues. I spent 2 month in the hopital. They put me a heart pacemacker, did a ton of medical exams.and took many medicines But as it is a ALD, it cost nothing to me (only a few meals that I took in the main restaurant, as the food was horrible). Happy to see that you are happy in France !
Pareil. Véhiculé par ambulance aux urgences cardiaques, après 4 jours d'observation, transfert à Ambroise Paré à Neuilly/Seine pour un quadruple pontage coronarien. En tout, 1 mois d'hospitalisation puis 2 mois de séances de réadaptation cardiaque. La prise en charge en France est géniale.
It's crazy eye-opening to listen to you tell us about your experience with the French healthcare system compared to the US. We dont realize how good we have it until outsiders comment on it. Let's fight to keep it a universal right and universal access to all :) Very happy that you had an easy time to find primary care doctors and specialists especially in the medical desert where you live. Fantastic news.
In french : Merci pour votre vidéo déjà et heureux que vous vous plaisiez en France. Maintenant, je vais pouvoir faire mon français râleur ( lol), la sécurité sociale et le système de soins sont financés par des COTISATIONS sociales et NON pas des CHARGES. La différence est importante car ceux qui aimeraient privatiser la sécurité sociale entretiennent sciemment la confusion dans l'esprit des gens. THANK YOU for your video and thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Thank you for pointing this out. I love the spirit of the difference in that word. It reflects the values I see in the French social system. We will be sure to remember in the future and I thank you for the correction.
@@BaguetteBound this is particularly critical to us French people as it implies 2 things: we as individuals secure our own future (one day we will not be as fit and healthy anymore), and we as a group (or nation, or whatever you want to call it) care for each other in a social sense. It is arguably the cement of our social construct - even if we know it has its flows, freeloaders, etc. Quite the opposite of a "charge".
I feel sorry for you. Having to pay all those medicines... In Finland, no matter what you illness is, or how many medications you are on, you never pay more than 626 euros annually. All costs over that are paid by government. Even if you have to buy medicines worth of 50.000€. Cheapest insulin here is 15€, and they are all prescription medicines to begin with.
My wife (Dutch) and I (American) live in France. We both have chronic diseases (diabetes and a heart condition). While in the States, I calculated that we needed to bank around $2 million before retirement to cover just our medical costs. Moving to France was a godsend in this regard. We are both covered for 100% of our expenses for these illnesses.
I’ve been diagnosed with a rare self immune disease, after 8 days at hospital in a single room, so many medical procedures, scans, MRI, specialists consultations. The only thing I had to pay has been the TV subscription and we were râler a lot about the price (30€ the week) my family and I. Today, I’m into a national healthcare program for chronic disease called ALD (affection longue durée). That’s mean the state will cover 100%of anything related to my specific disease. I don’t even imagine what has been the cost of all of that in the US !
Thank you both for this content! As my husband and I research different countries to relocate to, France is at the top of my list specifically for the healthcare. I truly appreciate the information you guys provide!
fyi my experience in Australia. I had a Diabetic Keto Acidocis event and when my breathing became critical I needed an ambulance. I was taken to the Emergency department and although I was nealy passed out I remember that there were about 6 people looking after me. I went for a CAT scan and woke up in ICU 24hrs later. I stayed in ICU for 3 days and then went to the ward for 24hrs. After leaving hospital I was placed under the care of Endocronoligists with 3 monthly visits for two years. All up it cost me $100 for the ambulance and $7 for pharmacy. They saved my life and everyone in the process was exceptional. Thankyou Au for the system that we live in.
I am not used to comment videos on youtube but as a medical doctor myself I have to thank you for showing how lucky French people are to have such an healthcare system. If only they spoke English to understand… btw I do like your content. Happy to have you with us!
The French are not lucky, a form on universal healthcare exists all across Europe with many different models being used. I'm Irish by birth and Swiss by choice for me there is nothing surprising about the French system, because thid is normal for us.
Something tells me you'd be amongst the first to destroy that oh so great healthcare system because "Oh, don't complain, we french people are lucky to even HAVE doctors!". And i bet it's NOT bad intuition at all, Eric. For real.
I have always found the French system excellent throughout our time in France and despite living in 3 different places. But two years ago I was unfortunate enough to require surgery for a terrible hernia and, whilst waiting in the clinique for the operation a nurse and a doctor raced into the room, jabbed me in the stomach, literally threw me into an ambulance and I was racing down the autoroute to the clinique Pasteur in Toulouse, a renowned heart clinique where, within two hours, I had an emergency heart operation. Two weeks later I was diagnosed with leukemia promting six months of treatment. Thus one clinique for the hernia, another specialist one for the heart and, for the cancer, the hospital at Montauban. Care was excellent and I am now in perfect health. The out of pocket expense? €5 per night at the clinique Pasteur where a single room was paid for by my mutual but I had to pay for TV and WiFi and, as you say, any treatment relating to cancer or heart is now reimbursed 100% by the state. I can't praise the French system enough.
Paris born, Chicago raised... and in France for decades now. you call the taxe contribution "social charges" , though the term "charges social" is used, the correct term is "cotisation social" so "social contribution" in English. not much of a difference you might think. but I prefer "contributing" to my fellow countrymen's health than being "charged" for it. "charges social" is often used by the right. "cotisation social" by the left. but in the legal term is "cotisation social"
This is when being a foreigner shows. We're grateful to all our French viewers who have pointed this out because we didn't realize. The solidarity which the social framework supports comes through in the word "contribute," and if it's the proper name, we should be calling it that regardless. We thank you for the correction. 🙂
What a great summary of the French healthcare system. Learned a lot! I live in the Netherlands and I think it's quite comparable here. As to the cost: I believe one of the reasons care is more affordable in Europe is the fact that governments directly influence prices for both services and products. Here, medication will only be reimbursed in the standard insurance package if the pharma company keeps the price below a certain level. For that company it means: either stop servicing an entire country or lower the prices. And yes, this has indeed led to a mild medication shortage here at some point 😅
I work in the healthcare field here in the States. Unfortunately, there is a lot of money to be made out of chaos and that's how the healthcare functions here in the States. Be it insurance companies, medical groups, the nursing profession (i.e. manufactured nursing shortage), etc, a lot of folks suffer here as a result. Ravi Peiris M.D.
As the former Swedish PM Olof Palme said, and it is often qouted 'Any Government that doesn't offer its Tax-Paying citizens free health care has failed as a country'.
Thank you so much for your videos and sharing with us your experience living in France. If possible, please make a video of how the France system addresses long term care, nursing homes and elder care. The respect and appreciation for elders in France as other countries in Europe is so different than in the states.
I am French, my wife works in an ehpad retirement home (accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people). There are things to say about this subject that are not necessarily good even if everything is not bad either. There are private and public establishments for the elderly in France. the price of a place in these establishments is very high both in the public and in the private sectors between 1500 and 3500 € per month.... the quality of service is quite variable in the private and public sectors. this type of establishment is struggling to recruit caregivers and hoteliers this situation has worsened since covid. that said, this price includes the price of the room, meals and care, everything is included... the reality is often the lack of staff and the inability of the teams to fully take care of the residents as the families would like but also caregivers who suffer greatly from this situation. this is not a generality applicable to all establishments but the situation is deteriorating and prices are increasing in many places
I live in Ireland and am Irish. Can get a doctor same day most times. Even in public system its a maximum of €800 per yr even if you stwy in hospital all yr. 80 per day for max ten days then free after that. No rush with paying either. I have private health insurance too for a all private hospitals too for 190 per month for two adults and one child. 😊
As a holidaymaker my wife had an accident in France last year and sustained a broken femur. The pompiers ambulance arrived quickly, she was in hospital for 3 weeks (2 weeks of that were our holiday insurance delaying repatriating her back to the UK) and the total cost was ZERO, nil, nothing!! and brilliant treatment. I had a heart attack in France 10 years ago and had to pay for my food in Caen hospital (CHU) which was about 90 Euros for the week but I was given menus for the day each day at breakfast time and the cost of treatment in CHU was covered by my EHIC card. Brilliant - France is the place to be ill!
Hello from Belgium. Very nice to see your enthusiasm of living in Europe. Things are globally similar here in Belgium although some details may differ one way or another from France.
I’ve had the need of my Carte Vital here in Corsica which is a medical desert. This entails traveling usually 100+ kilometers of driving to specialists. When I have been unable to drive a bon de transport has been provided, a taxi is available. My local médecin is a five minute walk away from home. I’m satisfied and happy to be using my Carte Vital.
I was taken to hospital by the Pompiers (paramedics in the Fire Service), no charge. When i have had dental work, crowns, I have been charged 3200 euros (several crowns over time). It cost me 15 euros after government and mutuelle reimbursement. My mutuelle is 1200 euros a year, for a very high level of reimbursement.
You know that in France many people are still complaining about our medical system … But they don’t realise how lucky we are here compared to other countries
People all over Europe complain about the state of their healthcare system - which is a good thing because it keeps the pressure on the politicians to maintain and improve it.
Cheap is one thing, available is another thing. When it's rare and cheap it become unavailable. This is why it became so expensive in the US. If doctors had no need to work 80h a week, prices would drop.
@PyromancerRift I'm afraid the long hours do not explain the insane healthcare prices in the US. Long hours already mean big revenue due to the number of patients seen per day. But the price of a single consultation is already sky high. The same goes for medication. Everything is much much more expensive than in Europe. For worse results... You can get the best healthcare in the world in the US if you can pay but it's also one of the least efficient systems in the world.
Great info. After bumping into your channel on moving to France been binge watching your videos. This one is a True eye opener on how cost effective and good the medical care is in France. Our 1 month's medicare Part B (mine and my wife's- we are on the higher threshold) premium, will probably cover our full year medical cost in the french system. I am sure this is going to attract a new wave of US retirees after the Portugal wave which is slowly dying. Thanks for the great content!
I am French and I only truly realised all what you’re saying after spending significant time living outside of france in countries with no universal healthcare system. I thank you for doing what you do as it makes French people better conscious of WHY taxes are higher in France and WHY a society with super low taxes even for ultra wealthy people aren’t sustainable.
Hey Jason and Raina, bravo for this video, and happy to see how much you love our country. Two slight details in the video that merit more context : a "médecin généraliste" (i.e. General Practitioner) is just a primary care doctor, or family doctor if you will. Designing him as your "médecin traitant" just tells the state and your insurance that he will be your first medical port of call, your primary physician, it is the same job, the same doctor, it's just an administrative tag that you put on his name in your file. Basically he will be the one who will refer you to specialists if need be. In exchange, your visits to that particular doctor will be almost totally reimbursed, through Sécurité Sociale, and your supplemental insurance (i.e. your "mutuelle"). On that note, the mutuelle is actually not optional anymore, you _have_ to be covered if you're employed. In most cases your employer will pick up half of your tab, so that covering a whole family will usually cost you less than 100€. Yay France.
The system has changed a bit over recent years and many specialists in hospitals and cliniques will not make an appointment unless you have a referral from your médecin traitant. Doctolib adheres to these rules, which are difficult to bypass..The waiting time for ophthalmologists and cardiologists can be many months. However, your médecin traitant can accelerate getting an appointment. I recently had a very slow heart rate and he got me an appointment at the nearest cardiology clinique the same day for immediate admission into intensive care and fitting of a pacemaker.
Could I ask you, as a chronically ill person (no major treatments available so not an expensive patient :)), where would a person go to see what conditions are supported in France? Thank you!
In order to sum it a little : it's impossible to get broke in France if you need a heavy surgery. 99 % chances your needs fall in one ALD, covered at 100%. No horrific story like selling your house to pay the bill, or delay the surgery forever because a lack of money.....
Merci pour vos vidéos très instructives et de rendre hommage à notre fabuleux pays ! ❤ Je travaille moi-même en cancérologie. Concernant l'ambulance (ou VSL, taxi conventionnés, c'est-à-dire qu'ils sont agréés par la Sécurité sociale) en cas de besoin vous pouvez demander un "bon de transport" à votre médecin (votre médecin traitant ou votre spécialiste) car la nécessité d'une ambulance implique que vous avez peut-être des difficultés à vous déplacer. Ce n'est pas automatique mais si cela est pertinent dans votre cas alors ce sera accepté. Le bon de transport permettra donc la prise en charge financière par l'Assurance maladie. Jason, étant donné que vous êtes en ALD, cela vous concerne davantage. 😊
In my experience as someone who left France and only visit once a year, a doctor's visit is $25 without health insurance, and you can generally get a same day appointment.
Hi, in France most primary doctors are independent workers (médecin libéral). They invest in a cabinet - purchased or rented - with the necessary equipment. They put a sign on the door and they are all set. This is especially true in rural areas. The French average is 1 primary doctor for 700 inhabitants, so in a small town of 5,000 inhabitants there will be like 7 "généralistes" and, the prices for real estate being affordable, they usually can operate individually, in which case they almost never employ any personnel. In the big cities they usually partner with other doctors to share the burden of the real estate cost and they usually employ one or several non-medical assistant(s) whose main role is to take appointments and welcome the patients. Then of course there are medical centers, clinics and hospitals where you can also consult with a primary doctor, in which case they usually are employees. And finally, some, mostly specialists, have a mixed status with a private cabinet - more lucrative - "in town" but also either a part-time work contract or a commercial contract with a clinic or a hospital.
My mother died in December 2023 from Alzheimer's disease. She was hospitalized at home, with visits from a nurse twice a day, a physiotherapist, her general practitioner who stayed at home for an hour during these visits and then when her illness progressed so much, her doctor called on a group of doctors and palliative care psychologists. It is a public service that is not billed to anyone. They were a great help in managing the pain and her end of life. And they helped us psychologically. My mother had a medical bed, a wheelchair, with an anti-decubitus motorized mattress, all the equipment to give her intravenous morphine. And it was all free.
Im french and after living abroad for 20 years, I’m coming back to France. I’m very happy I found your video as it provides a lots of information. Thank you 👍
In Canada, we have universal; health care. We each receive a health card with our picture, similar to our driver's licence. That card is shown at medical appointments, and 100% of the cost is directly billed to the government, and no money is ever exchanged.
I also live in the country side, 400kms from u, and i confirm its the same : the doorbell when u enter, the waiting room ( just say "bonjour" if there is someone), the doctor who comes directly, and u pay him at the end!! just dont forget ur carte vitale....its very important. Generally, its the first thing doctor will ask u, at least mine. One exception : the ophtalmologist, always another person does some exams first before u see the doctor itself.
Thanks for your synopsis of the French HealthCare costs and charges. I too experienced some of the benefits while living in France which was especially helpful as I am also a Type 1 diabetic.
Just listening to your Healthcare video now, and want to chime in before I’m finished to say that I always check in when I arrive at a doctor’s office, give them my Carte Vitale which they hold on to until the end of the appointment when I pay or don’t. I have seen several specialists here and, except for one, they all work that way….dentist, ophthalmologist, GI doc, ENT(ORL/ear, nose, throat doc). Only in my dermatology office did I walk down a dark corridor into a room where there was no receptionist, etc., and had the experience you mention. Even in my Médecin traitant doctor’s office they take my Carte Vitale and ask me to “patienter” in the waiting room. So, not sure what doctors you are referring to who have no staff!
I'm a nurse working in the French hospital system (for over 20 years now) and yes, our health service is pretty impressive However, it's broadly similar to most european countries, and not as good as some Scandinavian ones. Also, many poor people DO NOT have a mutuelle, there are enough doctors in the "nice" regions (looking at the map you are in the south west?) but far fewer in the post-industrial north, for example. Also, wait until you are over 65 to see how much your mutuelle will start costing you. Social inequality still plays a part, although no doubt less than in the States.
The very poor in France have the CMU (couverture médicale universelle) with 0 cost.... And over 65 years old the basic mutuelle will cost you - + 70€/month, which is very cheap, considering that the last 5 years of your life will represent 90% of what you totalyy costed since you were born... Yes the french system isn't 100% perfect, but is quite good, even more in comparison to other countries..... BTW it's a good example of how works the french complaining mentality. We're not complaining because of actual system issues, but because the system isn't 100% perfect for our personnal point of vue...
@@francois-xavieresperance5007 je clampin, je sais ce que ce collègue a vécu et ce que j’ai moi même vécu en Allemagne . Le système français est loin d’être le meilleur système de santé sans être le plus mauvais non plus. Faut sortir un peu
Just recently and I live in New York State I had to find a new primary care physician and when I did, I had to book an appointment eight months out because that was their first availability. So for those folks that say it’s a lot faster in the United States. I have to disagree because in the last several years, I’ve had a lot of difficulty, establishing with a new primary care on a timely basis. It sounds like your experience is way better than mine here.
Bernie Sanders had an Angioplasty. Plus hospital stay Plus Medication. $75,000+ $2,500 per day +Meds. Mine in Ireland was Zero. Medication €43:00 per calendar month. Insulin. Is free. Payed like Domestic Water from National taxation. 🇮🇪🇪🇺
i too have a chronic disease that's taken care of 100% in "ALD" by the state that won't be listed, the type of treatment you've been prescribed (anti interleukin in my case) sometimes can grant you access to ALD "hors-liste". anyway, happy to see people loving our country and lifestyles, happy our state could take care of your health, every developed country in the world should have this as a standard at the very least. take care, as a french i enjoy watching your videos :)
Bonjour , je regarde vos vidéos avec intérêt . Je vis en Île de France et la vie est très différente de la campagne , ici beaucoup de grandes surfaces , on retrouve souvent les mêmes enseignes et c'est ouvert 7 j / 7
THANK you so very much. I am TYPE 2 - Diabetes, which runs in my family and glad it is under the ALD! The only thing that is a downer, sort of, is I have high BP and I just read it was removed from the list in 2011.
"...Diabetes, which runs in my family...", glad you mentioned that. I also have Type 2 diabetes, and every doctor have been to blames it on my diet, lack of excersize, age, work habits...all of which it totally wrong. I am in good shape, not overweight, excersize, eat properly, and so on. I have the disease because it's heredetary. My Mom had it, my aunt had it, my two cousins have it, and yeah, I have it. Yet, for some bloody reason, docotrs don't want to ackowledge that it is hrereditary. That's one thing that pisses me about the disease, and the doctors. The other, which is even more maddening, are all the UA-cam videos, and books claiming you can reverse it IF you eat this, take that vitamin or some plant. Folks, you cannot reverse diabetes. Once you have it, it's there until you die. You can sometimes control it, but you cannot reverse it!!!
Thank you for all the arguments you show and talk about in each of your videos. Another thing to know is the CEAM (carte européenne d'assurance maladie) which makes it possible for the health expenses to be taken in charge by the french healtcare system if you need it abroad in the E.U. Wish you all the best for your future here in France.
the difference between the health care industry in the US vs France & Europe is frankly money. yep. i know a lot abt France bc I was educated by the French. but destiny sent me to the US. some of my friends who graduated from Lycee Marie Curie in Saigon went to France and became physicians and dentists. they told me how much they make and at first i was astounded that as an engineer in the US I can make more than them. i have visited France twice, rented a car in the 90s and drove everywhere since i can speak the language: got lost one night somewhere in the Massif Central in the days before Google map; an old man on a bicycle told me where to find lodging. one thing i do like abt the US culture is the casualness vs Europe in general.
In December 2023 I had postponed my annual healthcare check up in the USA. When I went to reschedule, I had to laugh! I could get in to see my primary care doctor for my check up, but not until October 2024! And in March 2020 I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, but they consider prostate surgery in USA a selective surgery, so was FIVE MONTHS before I finally got my surgery on August 12 2020. During that 5 month wait, my PSA went from 14 to 34! I was lucky the cancer had not spread. In American we DO wait a long time too.
Thanks again folks. $2200 a month ! Sacre bleu! Here in UK we also have universal health care. Getting health care for any condition is never a concern. At moment NHS reportedly has some minor problems but can say from my wife and I have never experienced any concerns about our care. Which has been life saving at times. Obviously no system is perfect BUT in financial terms ill health care is free at point of use. Can't imagine having to worry about the cost of health care. Yes we do pay for it through our taxes......but if everyone pays a little no one has to pay a lot. I was a UK emergency paramedic and no one had to pay (directly) for our services. Finally my belief is that the first priorities of any governement surely should be the health of their citizens, and safety, protection, education. Though it could be suggested that some government's priorities ensure their rich health companies (owned by friends) can extract as much money as possible from the population.
This is very interesting to hear since all I see on UK news for the last few years is strike after strike given the NHS meltdown (which neoliberal US healthcare companies of course are involved in fueling the root causes of :( ). Most people with my conditions reallt struggle in the UK system but I'm very glad to hear that that is not everyone's experience!
This video makes me feel so proud of being French! Also so glad that our comprehensive solidarity system can benefit others! Welcome to our beautiful country (even tho you ve been installed for quite some time ahah)! 😊
Another amazing video. Trying to get my parents to retire to France for a better life, also debating Spain DNV or a year in France on NLV as a mini retirement to especially spend time with our toddler! Thanks again, the videos are clutch about a fellow Americans’ experience
Hey guys. Nice to meet you. I'm here just to say that for healthcare, taxes, school... Italy is just like France. And moving around the EU is so easy... Visit Tuscany if you don't have yet. 😘
Sounds similar to Canada, but it is even easier. Once you are issued a health care card, all you have to do is show it (if they ask - often they do not) once you are at your appointment. Dental is only covered for low-income, but if you are working, most companies pay dental care via a "top up" private plan. I needed a non-urgent appt last week and it was booked 3 days from my call.
A couple of years ago I had to help an American visiting whose baggage was lost along with his medications. I took him to the local clinic and convinced them to provide prescriptions , he was scared of the cost as the uncovered cost in the states was astronomical. I told him not to worry when I took him to the pharmacie and the cost was 28€.
I have two long-term illnesses that are reimbursed 100%. After a few years, social security put me on disability with a disability rate of 75%. Which means that I don't pay for any care whatsoever, apart from dental prostheses and glasses, which are largely reimbursed by mutual insurance.
I'm also a type 1 diabetic. I live in Besançon, a small city in the east of France. Just yesterday, my diabetician told me he's moving to Turkey. He also told me that all of the other specialists in town have either retired or will retire soon and no one will replace them. Luckily, as a type one diabetic with an insulin pump, the local hospital will take me on as an outpatient. I'm considered a priority patient. So that's fine, I will not have the same personal relationship with my doctor, as they will change all the time, but I know I'll get a good follow up, the hospital will be up to date with all the new research and technical innovations and it will be completely covered by social security. But all of the type 2 diabetics will have to see their family doctors, which is not ideal as this will overburden them even further. So if the healthcare system is still good in France compared to other countries (like the UK and Ireland which I know pretty well), it's going downhill.
@@KBinturong No, it's not like the American system. There is also universal coverage but it is underfunded. There are fewer hospital beds, fewer doctors. There are huge waiting lists for appointments and operations. But British people are very attached to their National Health Service and want to keep it. The Republic of Ireland, by contrast, is much more like the United States. There is no universal coverage, you need to get private insurance if you can afford it.
I would add that your Mutuelle will only top up a percentage. This increases over the number of years you are with your Mutuelle. This gets rather frightening when you have a cover plan which only covers for 30 days in a private hospital bed because your specialist is affiliated with a private hospital and you are unexpectedly in hospital for longer. Beds are typically 160 a day. State would cover for 40 per day and mutuelle payment is related to the percentage of the payment by the state. Anything over the top you cover.
You can also get your sight tested for free in optical shops, it's a quite recent feature related to the lack of ophtalmologist availability in many parts or France. There's a name you gonna familiarize with when dealing with the French healthcare system, this name is Ameli... The way ALD is managed is related to the equality principle (there's a reason French Republic motto "Liberté Egalité Fraternité" is often written in front of many official buildings) : people with chronic health issues like diabetes, Parkinson's diease, Crohn's disease or cysttic fibrosis aren't (usually) responsible for these issues in the first place so it's normal for the cost of these chronic diseases to be shared by the community.
Yes - a short video on Améli would be good. Also Mon Espace Santé. If you are diligent about updating your health details it's really useful when changing généraliste. All your surgery reports can be found there (if you give universal access to health professionals). You can also add your "Directives anticipeés" (advance medical directives) to the file.
Hello guys. You are a lovely couple, you respect and enjoy the culture and you spread quite a lot of happiness around you. As a French person, it's an honor to pay taxes for valuable guests like you.
In the Netherlands we all have to have health insurance which can be expensive. People who cannot afford it are subsidised by the government. You do need a referral to see a specialist and you may have to pay a small sum after visiting a specialist.
Your vidéos must be declare as "national public Interest" by french government. I'm french (born and living in Paris), it's make me remember as France is a beautiful country and how we must be thankful to our elders who built it and fight for it.
It's funny to see that the channel is dedicated to Americans who want to move to France, and in the end it's watched by French people who want to know how Americans assess and judge their health education system, a kind of therapy to combat the usual gloom in France. Thank you to our American friends for bringing us their optimism and open-mindedness.
I'm german and it's the same on channels of americans live in germany. Best wishes and stay hopefull!
yep, i'm french too. always intersting to have an other point of view. but why i ended up here??? let's all thanks YT algorithme lol
Bonjour! Our own system is so broken and inhumane, how could I not be optimistic about starting over in your beautiful country? Your kind words - calling us friends and offering thanks - warm my heart and make me feel so much less fearful about beginning a new life there.
de ouf !
Victim of a motorcycle accident more than 10 years ago, months of hospitalization, several surgeons specializing in several 10-hour operations, ambulances, a full year of physiotherapy and rehabilitation, I have not paid a single euro, except for the TV in my hospital room, Crazy ! I am happy to have been born in France, we rarely measure the luck of having a system like this one.
Even when bad things happen, a well designed system can bring about good outcomes. Thank you for sharing your story and thanks for watching.
Profitez en, ça ne durera malheureusement pas.
Il n'y aura bientôt plus assez de richesses produites pour alimenter le système.
Personnellement, je diversifie en souscrivant une assurance privée.
Rien à voir avec la production de richesse, la France est toujours un pays qui produit énormément de richesses.
Par contre, l'argent est de moins en mois bien redistribué et les services publics s'effondrent au profit de ceux qui n'en ont pas besoin.
"En 25 ans, la part des 10 % les plus pauvres dans l’ensemble des revenus recule, tandis que celle des 10 % les plus riches augmente. Ces derniers ont connu une progression 7,6 fois plus massive de leurs revenus annuels que les premiers."
Il suffit de regarder les rapports de l'Oxfam, de l'Observatoire des Inégalités, etc.
Et puis, pour un pays qui "produit pas assez de richesse", c'est quand même ironique que la plus grande fortune du monde soit un français.
Il y a énormément d'argent, en France. Le problème c'est qu'il circule pas, et qu'il est complètement vampirisé depuis 20 ans, justement parce que les intérêts privés rongent les intérêts publics pour se rapprocher d'un modèle américain où c'est "chacun pour soi" et où la solidarité nationale n'existe pas.
Le PIB augmente en France depuis 1975 (avec le premier choc pétrolier). Alors oui, pas toujours au même rythme, parfois ça progresse vite comme au début des années 2000, parfois ça progresse tout doucement, comme maintenant. Mais y a quand même une augmentation globale du PIB.
Penser qu'on ne produit pas assez de richesses, c'est le mythe qu'on essaye de nous faire avaler pour continuer d'assassiner nos services publics, mais c'est complètement faux.
@@marcdecoster5830 just wondering if you are the guy in the room that always sees doom and gloom...?
@@richardcadena7746nah he’s just the average French guy…😂. My 11 y.o. Is grumpy like his French papi, unlike his Canadian grand-père. Grumpiness and unhappiness comes with it. They are just like that.
I had a hospital stay about 8 years ago, here in Scotland. It was about three weeks. At the end of it, not only did I pay nothing for my treatment, but the hospital paid for the taxi to take me home.
You paid through your taxes.
@davidperry7128 So? I didn't have to sell my house.
@@davidperry7128It is free at the point of use and you do not pay for your care with your taxes, you pay into the system as a whole.
This is exactly why I don't bother seeing my salary cut by a lot every month. I'm glad I'm contributing to our healthcare system.
En faite les cotisations sur nos fiches de paies, je le considère commes de l avance le jour on j en aurais besoin, il me seront rendus, retraite, maladie, caf, chômage.... et pis ca permet d aider d autres personnes bien plus dans la galère que moi! Et de ça je suis fière 😉
@@Stephane1-md7br bah clairement, avec l’inflation et tout, je suis heureux de bien gagner ma vie mais j’imagine ceux qui n’arrivent à finir le mois. C’est bien de les aider aussi et s’assurer que tous les français aient au moins le minimum pour vivre une vie normale. J’aime bien notre système.
As a french citizen I must thank you for reminding me that I and my fellow grumpy citizens (and you now) , are so lucky to live in a country who takes care of everyone, even if it costs a lot of taxes to us and it's still not perfect.
For how long ? Ultra high taxes that aren't preventing the huge state deficit. The fact that imports hugely exceed exports does not help.
It is Indeed not perfect but according to thé WHO it is the best healthcare system worldwide. And sûre we pay taxes for that. But at least out taxes benefit us. They also cver education for example, among many other things. In thé US if you add federal, state and local taxes, health insurance, medical bills, prescription drugs, they actually spend much more. For terrible outcomes. The American healthcare system ranks last on thé OECD accessibility and affordability ranking.
it's not luck. Don't forget that it was our very grumpy elders who fought to have what we have. Grumpy of course because it is not with smiles that we obtain anything.
@@albertkeller9084 Le déficit de la France est plus du à une mauvaise gestion de l'argent publique que du à la sécurité sociale.
As a French person who works a lot, I contribute with my very high taxes to take care of people who do nothing. and contrary to what is said, medicine is not good, it is very difficult to find doctors because they are not paid enough in this system therefore not enough vocations. During covid we were helped by Cuban doctors 🤭 there is a happy medium between the American liberal system and the French communist system
I am French and live now in Burgundy after years in Oregon. Just fell down the stairs last week and broke ribs in 5 places. The ambulance, the scan, emergency room docs, the meds, x-rays, etc...zero euros. Having been operated several times in the US, and fought over medical bills each time, delays, etc, I know that France is the place to be sick...and healthy..There is no other place for me in the world but ma Douce France.
Oh my goodness, I am so sorry to hear of your fall! That must have been very scary; I'm so glad you are there and have good care
That's not a french thing. It is probably normal all over Europe. I live in Austria and here it is exactly the same. Last time I was in the hospital with my son and he got the full program of axaminations. Half way through he said, that we would be broke now, if we lived in the US. So after 4 hours, seeing 5 different doctors, having lung x-ray, head CT and many mor expensive examinations, I just had to pay €2,- for the parking lot. The beauty of that system is, that people who earn less money, do pay less for health insurance but get the same treatment.
Also true for Canada. Universal healthcare is the NORM for the G7, or the G20. Except for the good old USA, the supposedly greatest country in the world!
Absolutely not. I spent 10 years in Ireland, this is completely different.
This video really touched me. In fact, it made me cry. The stress of having to pay the exorbitant costs for medical care in the US is a nightmare. The stress takes a physical toll and with that kind of stress the condition only gets worse.
You can come in France! You just need to find a job, the seconds you work here (hello taxes) you get covered for everything
tokkyo : " u just need to find a job"..... like if it was easy!! but its the fastest way to be registered at the French social security!! today u can find easily a job in tourism,restaurants, hotels but they are not easy jobs! A good way to "put a foot" in the country nevertheless...
@@paulin1606 Tu connais un boulot facile ? Alors j'aimerais bien avoir le secret ! 😂
facile à trouver, pas forcément à tenir....fallait comprendre la nuance!
In another video, our friends explain how quality of life in France (in Europe, I would add, since I’m Italian) is much more made about being free from such stress, rather than hoarding money and goods, as it often happens in the US.
You guys are so nice ! On behalf of French people, you can consider yourselves at home, here with us ! Welcome to our family !
As a French, I love watching your videos to better appreciate what I have thanks to France. And I love the pertinence of your informations !
I’m French and retired. I’ve contributed all my life to Sécurité sociale and a mutuelle. I made very few visits to doctors for most of my life. But three years ago, I was diagnosed with a cancer of the prostate. Everything went very fast: I had surgery (robot assisted), a week in hospital (yes, the food was awful!), countless checks and lab and so on, all covered by the ALD. I don’t even know how much the system had to pay as except for a few euros (maybe 200), nothing came from my pocket. And my younger brother suffered from an hepatitis. He had a liver transplant 10 years ago, a few months in intensive care due to some complications in a top hospital in Marseille, incredibly expensive antiviral drugs… I cannot figure out what the real cost of this procedure is (including the helicopter to bring the replacement liver from who knows where) All taken care of by the ALD. I doubt he had to pay more than 1000 euros for optional extras. So I don’t complain when I have to pay a mandatory 2 euros each time I go to the doctor (the so-called reste à charge, which has doubled recently.
Do you happen to know if organ transplants are reimbursed 100% for care and meds? Thank you.
@@AnnM223 from an American perspective yes
@@AnnM223 Organ transplants are paid 100% for everything, directly to the hospital. But there is no priority. There is a list of potential receivers, whose identities are hidden from the regulating authority (France Transplant). They are ranked according to multiple criteria (age, family, biological data, ...) and when a donor is "available", the organ is sent for transplant to the first compatible receiver (who then ceases to be anonymous, of course). The identity of the deceased donor remains hidden. Until the last minute, nobody knows who is going to receive the organ. It's a triple-blind system. My brother had to keep his essential belongings with him, the transplant was performed with a half-day notice. He is doing well to this day. Without a liver transplant, he would have died 10 years ago...
@@AnnM223 Yes, absolutely, just like any illness requiring long-term treatment.
All the best for you! I hope you recover to the best possible for your situation. As an elderly man, i can relate to your situation!
Not having to worry about money must be a great support for someone who has problems enough at the moment..
That is a reason why Breaking Bad couldn't have taken place in France. Medical expenses for cancer are fully reimbursed. So, it will have been just a TV series about a teacher.
Wait ... That should explain the scenario of so much French TV series 😀
Thank you Baguette Bound for your videos. It is so useful to have an outside viewpoint on our country and to realize that, at the end, "Pas mal non ? C'est français".
fun facts: french series are also financed by heavy taxes! It's called France Télévisions
@@safedreams6241and that s why we have our own cinema industry and music industry.
State protection and financement.
Thanks socialism for building those french industries.
@@etienne8110
a cinema of poor quality that the French do not go to see...France does not subsidize French music, it imposes quotas on radios and it is therefore the private sector which subsidizes French-speaking production rather than French because they speak French with difficulty. what you describe is just a dictatorship because the State imposes all this on the people and they pay very dearly for it. a small minority are happy about it like you
In American and I can’t wait to move to my place in France. So many good things to look forward to. Vive la France!!! Plus intelligent, plus efficace.
Welcome to the civilised world, guys! Enjoy your stay!
I spent two years in high school in Paris. One of my friends there became an MD and married a neurologist. One of their daughters recently attended medical school.
Medical school in France is quite different than in the US in some ways. The big difference is that med school in France costs something like 2,000 euros per year in tuition. No one leaves medical school in deep debt, unlike in the US where the average debt load on completion is over $200,000.
You start medical school straight out of high school. It's competitive to be admitted, but not highly competitive like US med schools. Apparently the first year is really, really hard and this is where they weed people out. Lots of students drop out or get pushed out based on how well they do.
France, like every other country in the world other than the US, produces more generalist physicians than the US. Counter intuitively, this produces better health care results. Primary care is more important than specialist care and less expensive.
So France produces physicians who aren't deeply in debt, covers every one who lives in France for far lower costs and produces better health outcomes. It's frequently rated the best health care system in the world.
Thank you for adding this perspective. Good information. Thanks for watching.
Thats why there are more rich people in the US than in France. US needs to get rid of ideology and start paying attention to politics.
But that's a lot to ask for a so religious country.
Thank you for this great video!
A key thing to understand the low cost of Mutuelle that you might not now, is that by law they cannot be for-profit organisations! They have to be “à but non lucratif”. They are private organisations that solely exist to organise solidarity between their members, by having everyone contributing and then covering anyone who needs it.
Once you remove the need to give dividend to shareholders and the motive to squeeze everything to increase your profit, it changes everything!
As a french guy, I am quite happy to see that other people from other places appreciate our "social security system" and its positive outcomes. Remember that we pay a lot on our salaries for this. For instance, when I made 3 000 Euros a month, my boss payed ca. 5 500 euros, 3 000 for me, and 2 500 for the various social protections, i.e. health, loss of jobs, retirement... And out of these 3 000, I payed about 18% in extra contribution for the above cited benefits. We want to keep this system working for the benefit of most of us, and that's why the trade unions and other various composants of the society are often fighting, resulting in social mouvements and strikes.
Thank you for that! In the US they deduct a lot for Medicare and Social Security from our checks, but do not provide quality health care to people who need it. When you retire you still pay for medical services 😮
C'est normal de payer des impôts cela permet d'être généreux quand on est radin de nature !
Je n'ai rien contre ce couple et je leur souhaite de vivre heureux en France mais si on regarde la "big picture" le fait qu'il y ait de plus en plus de personnes venant de pays étrangers riches (US, UK, etc) qui viennent s'installer en France n'est pas une bonne chose et montre que notre pays est en déclin économique. La France devient un peu comme le Maroc ou le Portugal pour les retraités français.
Il faut dire que, on a jamais été autant imposé et ça n'a jamais été autant le bordel il y a quelque chose qui ne va pas, notre pays doit reprendre sa souveraineté
@@NihumeIl ne faut pas exagérer. La qualité des soins de santé à l'hôpital, par exemple, suit les progrès technologiques et ne cesse de s'améliorer. Et, forcément, ça a un coût.
If you're an employee, there also some dedicated center with doctor you must see regulary (maybe every 2/3 years). It's called "la médecine du travail". The main goal is to make sure you're healthy enough to do your work and help you if you have health problems. It's totally free of charge and those doctors can help you like any regular doctor. They can even see you more often if they have a good reason. For instance I had one of those visit in April, the next one is in July.
Few years ago, the doctor related to my work helped me so much by being the one to identify why I what always exhausted (I was able to fall asleep in the middle of a sentence). He addressed me to the right specialist and used his relation to avoid any delay to schedule a visit with the appropriate specialist. Thanks to this doctor my life turned from being a zombie to an absolutely normal life in few weeks.
This is always what I say: if you know and agree with what your taxes pay, then taxes are fine if they are fair.
Hey! I recently stumbled on your channel. Very interesting, I wish more US citizens would subscribe. It amazes me how few Americans seem to know about this.
Most of the industrialized countries offer such benefits to everyone. I’m from Canada and about 40 minutes away from the US and we have free healthcare and education. I don’t understand why such a great country as the USA doesn’t offer healthcare and education to everyone. Keep educating your fellow Americans maybe things can change.
I'm a type 2 diabetic and I know how lucky I am to live in my country. I'm also very happy to pay my taxes :)
Historically, social security was the brainchild of our resistance fighters (CNR: Conseil National de la Résistance) during the Second World War.
The idea is SOLIDARITY towards our sick and elderly (retirement).
Long live Jean Moulin (he unified the French Resistance) and General De Gaulle (father of the 5th Republic, among others...). From Cambrai (North of France)
And long live Ambroise Croizat too, father of our Social Security !
yep thanks communist
Early on in our life in France my husband needed emergency abdominal surgery - scans, surgeon, intensive care, follow up. The surgeon said there would be an out of pocket payment. I cringed, thinking of a really huge out of pocket payment in another country of residence (not USA) - we had to raid the pension fund to pay. When he said €12 I nearly fell off the chair. We also paid €50 per day for a private room (you don't have to opt for that). So the Carte Vitale plus our Mutuelle covered over 90%. Cataract surgery is similar. Dentistry: I paid €1200 out of pocket for one implant. For regular check ups with 180° x-ray the out of pocket is very low. A Mutuelle insurance is well worth it. Also, as you get older and can't drive the Assurance Maladie will pay your transport costs to specialists by VSL-Véhicule Sanitaire Léger (taxi-ambulance).
I spent a night in a hospital room once after an accident. The room itself, nothing else, was charged at $30,000. I not kidding.
There is a joke saying that when you have to stay at a hospital in France, the biggest bill you will have to pay will be the parking for your car !
Not even that. If you are in one of those ALD cases, chances are you 'll be transported by a medical taxi for free (a normal taxi who has an agreement with the system).
dont forget the Tv!!
Hi american friends. Very happy that you can, as a family, enjoy the french way of living, and most of all, settle down in our beautiful country. May be some of your fellow citizens will realize that French do things differently sometimes, but it is not automatically stupid ou less efficient.
Soyez les bienvenus, nous sommes contents de vous voir heureux en France. Arnaud de Brest (Atlantic coast, Brittany)
I think we, European do most things better
I don't know the Americans who think French things are stupid; that would be a minority view.
Excellent video! Thank you. As Americans experiencing the US health care system (as an employee, student, professor, and now retiree), we have received unpredictable bills: $8,500 full body MRI with our deductible being $500, which astounded our neurologist and primary bc they do not know the costs; dental procedures costing us $500-$2,500 for root canals, fillings, bridges, implants; and scary weekend dentists charging as much without the clean office. It's crazy! My wife's MS has brought us up close and personal with the American way of [mis]treating patients. The France medical system is beautiful! We look forward to applying for the Long Stay Visa (after our PDX condo sells) and moving to France. I reached out to a French neurologist (and scholar) who responded to my email with copious amounts of links and advice about which areas of France are better suited for someone with Multiple Sclerosis. In the US I aggressively argued with Social Security for Cindy to receive disability: lawyers, politicians, and exams later, almost 3 years of in-court fighting. Ridiculous! Your videos are very helpful!!!! Merci! Dean & Cindy
Wow. Just wow. But totally relatable. Good luck with your move!
It hurts my heart so much to see all the problems you have just because your partner has a long-term illness. Thank you for your testimony and I look forward to your coming to our country for your care! Good luck to you! How can the world's leading power allow its citizens to die? pfff
@@pinkunicorn3373 Bonjour! Thank you for the message. We look forward to learning more about France and its rich history! Merci beaucoup! Dean & Cindy
@@DeanRamser Bienvenue à vous ! ❤
@@rany_bttb Bonjour! My greetings to my students in the States and in Lviv: Welcome back! Bienvenue à vous ! ❤ Merci. Dean et Cindy *We sold our condo and our Visa interview is on December 2nd. Our Perpignan Airbnb is from Jan 1-April 2!
Yes, it's certain that for an average American the French health system seems fabulous, especially for a man like Jason with diabetes, but all this didn't happen with the wave of a magic wand, it was years of struggles, strikes, political battles, it has been going on since 1936 and the French have fought to get there.
I often hear “the French are the kings of strikes and social movements”.
Yes, that is true but all of us as a people have and continue to fight for these benefits.
We elect our government but when we disagree with it we know how to make it understood and not always peacefully (Louis XVI could have testified).😉 ((If he had kept his head on his shoulders)).
The protest culture in France is a beautiful part of the democracy here. Sometimes, I hear people say the French complain a lot, but I disagree. You don't create someplace incredible like France by being satisfied with the status quo. I see the French "complaining" as not settling!
@@BaguetteBound For our President of the Republic we are "refractory and complaining Gauls" which for him is an "insult" but which for us, Gauls is an honorary title, proud of our ancestors and their combative and rebellious spirit.
Our health system is no longer the result of social struggles. But rather experts. It was built around 3 main stages: initially more on an insurance model by companies after social struggles (19th century), then insurance on a national scale after the 2nd World War with the payment of social contributions on pay slips. (it is the fruit of the republican ideals of the resistance fighters), then a totally universal system with financing by tax at the beginning of the 90s (the fruit of the experts to ensure national solidarity). The two main models of social protection are those of Bismark in Germany and Beveridge in England. The French system is mixed. It was that of Bismark which more and more resembles that of Beveridge.
@@BaguetteBound Precisely! We don't complain just to complain - it's a way of keeping people accountable, not settling for mediocre conditions, and ensuring that our quality of life doesn't erode as fast as it seems to do elsewhere. (And honouring the people who made said quality of life possible after long struggles.)
@@brunomathon2279 Mmm : "no longer the result of social struggles" doesn't sound right, "not the result of social struggles", may be ?
But anyway, the survivance (or not) of it will be the result of social struggles.
(and it's Bismarck, with a "c") :) (sorry I'm french, can't resist correcting)
After watching some American videos on European health systems, I think it is very difficult for them to understand what underlies such systems. They all come to the same question: how much does it cost? This is not the right question, we don't care about the cost. In our republican motto we have the word fraternity, which we will simplify here by solidarity (fraternity has a slightly more complex sense). A universal health system is a system of solidarity of the rich towards the poor and of the healthy towards the sick. The more money you earn the more you pay, even if you are healthy, and everyone has the same access to care. The right question is therefore: do we want a society of solidarity or a society of each one for himself? We must first decide for this eminently political question, then the costs problems will be resolved on a way or another.
Congratulations for your videos. Yours efforts for integrate the french society and your optimism worth respect.
It costs less: 3970 euros per inhabitants in France and 8180 euros in the USA !
Your collectivism is touching. And although I want a NHS of some type from Taxes, we take in millions of illegals, immigrants, underclass etc. Plus we are pushing 350 million. Each State is different and they have the power to set up their own System. We rely on Jobs, Careers, or you buy your own. America has top tier Medical, the only reason it is rated bottom is because it is too complicated and Expensive. BTW people still come here to be successful and soar to potential not to have everything equal.
We have to ask that question because care in the US costs so much that it's a literal matter of life and death (the cost, not the healthcare received)
I’m from Houston! Or rather I’ve lived here for years!! Moving to a town in France (Aquitaine) called Montmorillon, about a half hour southeast of Poitiers. I bought my townhome from another American, coincidentally, but via Leggett International, which has many English speaking (native Brits) agents-all a very smooth experience. Using my new (old) place as a vacation home for a couple of years as I transition to perm residence. I grew up in Europe and studied in the French university system (Paris IV) as an undergrad (jr yr abroad), in Paris. So I speak French passably well. 😊 love your videos!!
I'm a french doctor on shift right now, nice hearing you like our system. We are underpaid thought.
Most medical care personel in the world are underpaid only the big pharmaceutical companies , CEO's of these companies make big big money .
Unfortunately most people don't understand , care or think about these health care professionals UNTIL something happens to them or any of their loved ones .
That sucks big time but that's the way the world works !
C'est de la merde!
Amazingly, for all we pay in the US, doctors have such high overhead that they are drowning as well. They commonly leave med school with $200k in school debt and pay massive amounts for malpractice insurance and being a part of the AMA every year (which is ironic since I have yet to have any dr in the US not commit malpractice with me).
I am very happy to know that you can treat your diabetes with peace of mind. Like the vast majority of French people, I think it is normal for vital care to be fully covered by social security. The right to live in good health is a fundamental right in France, and I am proud of it. There is also a law in France and in the European countries of the Sheingen area that allows to have a visa for medical reasons, for foreign people suffering from a disease for which no treatment is available in their country of origin and this includes all kinds of surgeries. And I’m proud of that, too.
Do you know that when you pay you can ask your doctor for the "tiers payant". This allows you to pay only the non-refundable portion. And so most of the time you will not pay anything at all. ;-)
This was extremely helpful since we’re moving there in September. Thank you!
Are You prepared to learn French?
Bienvenue et bonne chance !
welcome too!
I'm French and I also love paying my taxes (although for cultural purposes I have to complain about it sometimes) ^^ one thing that makes it easy to love is also that, pending being an employer or self employed, most of it is calculated automatically by the tax administration
Lol, I love you mentioned complaining for cultural purposes. We didn't understand when we first arrived, complaining about things like prices, bureaucracy, etc. These are just how people bond. We would meet someone new and they would start complaining about something to us and our optimistic American selves were confused. Now we understand this is just participating in a nation sport. 😂
@@BaguetteBound and not forgetting that always complaining about everything is what made the french healthcare system what it is today (and other things too). It can be buthersome but it is usefull because things can always be better! Loved the video have a nice day
@@BaguetteBound I love your comment
@@BaguetteBound Should be include in the Olympic game ,imagine the number of gold medals France will won
@@BaguetteBound "National sport": spot on! LOL
I recently had heart issues. I spent 2 month in the hopital. They put me a heart pacemacker, did a ton of medical exams.and took many medicines
But as it is a ALD, it cost nothing to me (only a few meals that I took in the main restaurant, as the food was horrible).
Happy to see that you are happy in France !
Pareil. Véhiculé par ambulance aux urgences cardiaques, après 4 jours d'observation, transfert à Ambroise Paré à Neuilly/Seine pour un quadruple pontage coronarien. En tout, 1 mois d'hospitalisation puis 2 mois de séances de réadaptation cardiaque. La prise en charge en France est géniale.
It's crazy eye-opening to listen to you tell us about your experience with the French healthcare system compared to the US. We dont realize how good we have it until outsiders comment on it. Let's fight to keep it a universal right and universal access to all :)
Very happy that you had an easy time to find primary care doctors and specialists especially in the medical desert where you live. Fantastic news.
In french : Merci pour votre vidéo déjà et heureux que vous vous plaisiez en France. Maintenant, je vais pouvoir faire mon français râleur ( lol), la sécurité sociale et le système de soins sont financés par des COTISATIONS sociales et NON pas des CHARGES. La différence est importante car ceux qui aimeraient privatiser la sécurité sociale entretiennent sciemment la confusion dans l'esprit des gens.
THANK YOU for your video and thank you for sharing your experience with us.
Thank you for pointing this out. I love the spirit of the difference in that word. It reflects the values I see in the French social system. We will be sure to remember in the future and I thank you for the correction.
we contribute according to our means and receive according to our needs
@@BaguetteBound this is particularly critical to us French people as it implies 2 things: we as individuals secure our own future (one day we will not be as fit and healthy anymore), and we as a group (or nation, or whatever you want to call it) care for each other in a social sense. It is arguably the cement of our social construct - even if we know it has its flows, freeloaders, etc. Quite the opposite of a "charge".
I am an insulin dependent diabetic living in the US, so I was listening to this with great interest. What a difference!
I feel sorry for you. Having to pay all those medicines...
In Finland, no matter what you illness is, or how many medications you are on, you never pay more than 626 euros annually. All costs over that are paid by government. Even if you have to buy medicines worth of 50.000€.
Cheapest insulin here is 15€, and they are all prescription medicines to begin with.
My wife (Dutch) and I (American) live in France. We both have chronic diseases (diabetes and a heart condition). While in the States, I calculated that we needed to bank around $2 million before retirement to cover just our medical costs. Moving to France was a godsend in this regard. We are both covered for 100% of our expenses for these illnesses.
un grand merci à vous d'honorer la qualité et l'efficience du système de santé français.
I’ve been diagnosed with a rare self immune disease, after 8 days at hospital in a single room, so many medical procedures, scans, MRI, specialists consultations. The only thing I had to pay has been the TV subscription and we were râler a lot about the price (30€ the week) my family and I. Today, I’m into a national healthcare program for chronic disease called ALD (affection longue durée). That’s mean the state will cover 100%of anything related to my specific disease. I don’t even imagine what has been the cost of all of that in the US !
Thank you both for this content! As my husband and I research different countries to relocate to, France is at the top of my list specifically for the healthcare. I truly appreciate the information you guys provide!
fyi my experience in Australia. I had a Diabetic Keto Acidocis event and when my breathing became critical I needed an ambulance. I was taken to the Emergency department and although I was nealy passed out I remember that there were about 6 people looking after me. I went for a CAT scan and woke up in ICU 24hrs later. I stayed in ICU for 3 days and then went to the ward for 24hrs. After leaving hospital I was placed under the care of Endocronoligists with 3 monthly visits for two years. All up it cost me $100 for the ambulance and $7 for pharmacy. They saved my life and everyone in the process was exceptional. Thankyou Au for the system that we live in.
I love the way Jason says “carte vitale !” - very sweet - you are very good people - well done !
Yes vitale ,very important
Merci pour cette vidéo !!
Et vive notre système de protection sociale ! Tellement précieux
I am not used to comment videos on youtube but as a medical doctor myself I have to thank you for showing how lucky French people are to have such an healthcare system. If only they spoke English to understand… btw I do like your content. Happy to have you with us!
Merci ! Et merci pour votre travailler ! 🙂
@@BaguetteBound travail* mais sinon super vidéo
The French are not lucky, a form on universal healthcare exists all across Europe with many different models being used. I'm Irish by birth and Swiss by choice for me there is nothing surprising about the French system, because thid is normal for us.
Yeah we do speak English, thank you for your concern. Toujours une raison de râler hein ?
Something tells me you'd be amongst the first to destroy that oh so great healthcare system because "Oh, don't complain, we french people are lucky to even HAVE doctors!". And i bet it's NOT bad intuition at all, Eric. For real.
Thanks for yours videos and thanks for reminding French people why they pay taxes. Bonne journée.
I have always found the French system excellent throughout our time in France and despite living in 3 different places. But two years ago I was unfortunate enough to require surgery for a terrible hernia and, whilst waiting in the clinique for the operation a nurse and a doctor raced into the room, jabbed me in the stomach, literally threw me into an ambulance and I was racing down the autoroute to the clinique Pasteur in Toulouse, a renowned heart clinique where, within two hours, I had an emergency heart operation. Two weeks later I was diagnosed with leukemia promting six months of treatment. Thus one clinique for the hernia, another specialist one for the heart and, for the cancer, the hospital at Montauban. Care was excellent and I am now in perfect health. The out of pocket expense? €5 per night at the clinique Pasteur where a single room was paid for by my mutual but I had to pay for TV and WiFi and, as you say, any treatment relating to cancer or heart is now reimbursed 100% by the state. I can't praise the French system enough.
This comment section is so pure. Love it! We’re Americans living in Canada and the healthcare isn’t as good as France but we sure love it!
Paris born, Chicago raised... and in France for decades now.
you call the taxe contribution "social charges" , though the term "charges social" is used, the correct term is "cotisation social" so "social contribution" in English. not much of a difference you might think. but I prefer "contributing" to my fellow countrymen's health than being "charged" for it. "charges social" is often used by the right. "cotisation social" by the left. but in the legal term is "cotisation social"
This is when being a foreigner shows. We're grateful to all our French viewers who have pointed this out because we didn't realize. The solidarity which the social framework supports comes through in the word "contribute," and if it's the proper name, we should be calling it that regardless. We thank you for the correction. 🙂
@@BaguetteBound François a raison. L'expression "charges sociales" a une connotation négative.
What a great summary of the French healthcare system. Learned a lot! I live in the Netherlands and I think it's quite comparable here. As to the cost: I believe one of the reasons care is more affordable in Europe is the fact that governments directly influence prices for both services and products. Here, medication will only be reimbursed in the standard insurance package if the pharma company keeps the price below a certain level. For that company it means: either stop servicing an entire country or lower the prices. And yes, this has indeed led to a mild medication shortage here at some point 😅
I work in the healthcare field here in the States. Unfortunately, there is a lot of money to be made out of chaos and that's how the healthcare functions here in the States. Be it insurance companies, medical groups, the nursing profession (i.e. manufactured nursing shortage), etc, a lot of folks suffer here as a result.
Ravi Peiris M.D.
As the former Swedish PM Olof Palme said, and it is often qouted 'Any Government that doesn't offer its Tax-Paying citizens free health care has failed as a country'.
vous êtes les meilleurs VRP de la France...
Thank you so much for your videos and sharing with us your experience living in France. If possible, please make a video of how the France system addresses long term care, nursing homes and elder care. The respect and appreciation for elders in France as other countries in Europe is so different than in the states.
I am French, my wife works in an ehpad retirement home (accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people). There are things to say about this subject that are not necessarily good even if everything is not bad either. There are private and public establishments for the elderly in France. the price of a place in these establishments is very high both in the public and in the private sectors between 1500 and 3500 € per month.... the quality of service is quite variable in the private and public sectors. this type of establishment is struggling to recruit caregivers and hoteliers this situation has worsened since covid. that said, this price includes the price of the room, meals and care, everything is included... the reality is often the lack of staff and the inability of the teams to fully take care of the residents as the families would like but also caregivers who suffer greatly from this situation. this is not a generality applicable to all establishments but the situation is deteriorating and prices are increasing in many places
I live in Ireland and am Irish.
Can get a doctor same day most times.
Even in public system its a maximum of €800 per yr even if you stwy in hospital all yr. 80 per day for max ten days then free after that. No rush with paying either. I have private health insurance too for a all private hospitals too for 190 per month for two adults and one child. 😊
As a holidaymaker my wife had an accident in France last year and sustained a broken femur. The pompiers ambulance arrived quickly, she was in hospital for 3 weeks (2 weeks of that were our holiday insurance delaying repatriating her back to the UK) and the total cost was ZERO, nil, nothing!! and brilliant treatment. I had a heart attack in France 10 years ago and had to pay for my food in Caen hospital (CHU) which was about 90 Euros for the week but I was given menus for the day each day at breakfast time and the cost of treatment in CHU was covered by my EHIC card. Brilliant - France is the place to be ill!
Kudos to the French National Health System! Beats the heck out of Canada’s and as I hear it, UK’s NHS as well.
Hello from Belgium. Very nice to see your enthusiasm of living in Europe. Things are globally similar here in Belgium although some details may differ one way or another from France.
I’ve had the need of my Carte Vital here in Corsica which is a medical desert. This entails traveling usually 100+ kilometers of driving to specialists. When I have been unable to drive a bon de transport has been provided, a taxi is available. My local médecin is a five minute walk away from home. I’m satisfied and happy to be using my Carte Vital.
Wow that is something! I live in a medical desert in US and drive never less than 3 hours to see any provider at all.
I was taken to hospital by the Pompiers (paramedics in the Fire Service), no charge. When i have had dental work, crowns, I have been charged 3200 euros (several crowns over time). It cost me 15 euros after government and mutuelle reimbursement. My mutuelle is 1200 euros a year, for a very high level of reimbursement.
You know that in France many people are still complaining about our medical system … But they don’t realise how lucky we are here compared to other countries
Hear hear
People all over Europe complain about the state of their healthcare system - which is a good thing because it keeps the pressure on the politicians to maintain and improve it.
And we're right to complain about it.
Complaining lead to improvements.
Not complaining lead to degradation.
Cheap is one thing, available is another thing. When it's rare and cheap it become unavailable. This is why it became so expensive in the US. If doctors had no need to work 80h a week, prices would drop.
@PyromancerRift I'm afraid the long hours do not explain the insane healthcare prices in the US. Long hours already mean big revenue due to the number of patients seen per day. But the price of a single consultation is already sky high. The same goes for medication. Everything is much much more expensive than in Europe. For worse results... You can get the best healthcare in the world in the US if you can pay but it's also one of the least efficient systems in the world.
Great info. After bumping into your channel on moving to France been binge watching your videos. This one is a True eye opener on how cost effective and good the medical care is in France. Our 1 month's medicare Part B (mine and my wife's- we are on the higher threshold) premium, will probably cover our full year medical cost in the french system. I am sure this is going to attract a new wave of US retirees after the Portugal wave which is slowly dying. Thanks for the great content!
It is a nice touch to mention alternatives to doctolib!
I am French and I only truly realised all what you’re saying after spending significant time living outside of france in countries with no universal healthcare system. I thank you for doing what you do as it makes French people better conscious of WHY taxes are higher in France and WHY a society with super low taxes even for ultra wealthy people aren’t sustainable.
Hey Jason and Raina, bravo for this video, and happy to see how much you love our country. Two slight details in the video that merit more context : a "médecin généraliste" (i.e. General Practitioner) is just a primary care doctor, or family doctor if you will. Designing him as your "médecin traitant" just tells the state and your insurance that he will be your first medical port of call, your primary physician, it is the same job, the same doctor, it's just an administrative tag that you put on his name in your file. Basically he will be the one who will refer you to specialists if need be. In exchange, your visits to that particular doctor will be almost totally reimbursed, through Sécurité Sociale, and your supplemental insurance (i.e. your "mutuelle"). On that note, the mutuelle is actually not optional anymore, you _have_ to be covered if you're employed. In most cases your employer will pick up half of your tab, so that covering a whole family will usually cost you less than 100€. Yay France.
The system has changed a bit over recent years and many specialists in hospitals and cliniques will not make an appointment unless you have a referral from your médecin traitant. Doctolib adheres to these rules, which are difficult to bypass..The waiting time for ophthalmologists and cardiologists can be many months.
However, your médecin traitant can accelerate getting an appointment. I recently had a very slow heart rate and he got me an appointment at the nearest cardiology clinique the same day for immediate admission into intensive care and fitting of a pacemaker.
Could I ask you, as a chronically ill person (no major treatments available so not an expensive patient :)), where would a person go to see what conditions are supported in France? Thank you!
@@messyhomestead7320Hi, the video suggests checking online "France ALD" (affections de longue durée).
In order to sum it a little : it's impossible to get broke in France if you need a heavy surgery. 99 % chances your needs fall in one ALD, covered at 100%. No horrific story like selling your house to pay the bill, or delay the surgery forever because a lack of money.....
Merci pour vos vidéos très instructives et de rendre hommage à notre fabuleux pays ! ❤ Je travaille moi-même en cancérologie. Concernant l'ambulance (ou VSL, taxi conventionnés, c'est-à-dire qu'ils sont agréés par la Sécurité sociale) en cas de besoin vous pouvez demander un "bon de transport" à votre médecin (votre médecin traitant ou votre spécialiste) car la nécessité d'une ambulance implique que vous avez peut-être des difficultés à vous déplacer. Ce n'est pas automatique mais si cela est pertinent dans votre cas alors ce sera accepté. Le bon de transport permettra donc la prise en charge financière par l'Assurance maladie. Jason, étant donné que vous êtes en ALD, cela vous concerne davantage. 😊
In my experience as someone who left France and only visit once a year, a doctor's visit is $25 without health insurance, and you can generally get a same day appointment.
Hi, in France most primary doctors are independent workers (médecin libéral). They invest in a cabinet - purchased or rented - with the necessary equipment. They put a sign on the door and they are all set. This is especially true in rural areas. The French average is 1 primary doctor for 700 inhabitants, so in a small town of 5,000 inhabitants there will be like 7 "généralistes" and, the prices for real estate being affordable, they usually can operate individually, in which case they almost never employ any personnel. In the big cities they usually partner with other doctors to share the burden of the real estate cost and they usually employ one or several non-medical assistant(s) whose main role is to take appointments and welcome the patients. Then of course there are medical centers, clinics and hospitals where you can also consult with a primary doctor, in which case they usually are employees. And finally, some, mostly specialists, have a mixed status with a private cabinet - more lucrative - "in town" but also either a part-time work contract or a commercial contract with a clinic or a hospital.
My mother died in December 2023 from Alzheimer's disease. She was hospitalized at home, with visits from a nurse twice a day, a physiotherapist, her general practitioner who stayed at home for an hour during these visits and then when her illness progressed so much, her doctor called on a group of doctors and palliative care psychologists. It is a public service that is not billed to anyone. They were a great help in managing the pain and her end of life. And they helped us psychologically. My mother had a medical bed, a wheelchair, with an anti-decubitus motorized mattress, all the equipment to give her intravenous morphine. And it was all free.
Im french and after living abroad for 20 years, I’m coming back to France. I’m very happy I found your video as it provides a lots of information. Thank you 👍
In Canada, we have universal; health care. We each receive a health card with our picture, similar to our driver's licence. That card is shown at medical appointments, and 100% of the cost is directly billed to the government, and no money is ever exchanged.
I also live in the country side, 400kms from u, and i confirm its the same : the doorbell when u enter, the waiting room ( just say "bonjour" if there is someone), the doctor who comes directly, and u pay him at the end!! just dont forget ur carte vitale....its very important. Generally, its the first thing doctor will ask u, at least mine. One exception : the ophtalmologist, always another person does some exams first before u see the doctor itself.
A lot of doctors have a buzzer linked to their waiting room's door. If you hear a small buzz during your doctor's appointment, someone walked in.
Thanks for your synopsis of the French HealthCare costs and charges. I too experienced some of the benefits while living in France which was especially helpful as I am also a Type 1 diabetic.
Just listening to your Healthcare video now, and want to chime in before I’m finished to say that I always check in when I arrive at a doctor’s office, give them my Carte Vitale which they hold on to until the end of the appointment when I pay or don’t. I have seen several specialists here and, except for one, they all work that way….dentist, ophthalmologist, GI doc, ENT(ORL/ear, nose, throat doc). Only in my dermatology office did I walk down a dark corridor into a room where there was no receptionist, etc., and had the experience you mention. Even in my Médecin traitant doctor’s office they take my Carte Vitale and ask me to “patienter” in the waiting room. So, not sure what doctors you are referring to who have no staff!
I'm a nurse working in the French hospital system (for over 20 years now) and yes, our health service is pretty impressive However, it's broadly similar to most european countries, and not as good as some Scandinavian ones. Also, many poor people DO NOT have a mutuelle, there are enough doctors in the "nice" regions (looking at the map you are in the south west?) but far fewer in the post-industrial north, for example. Also, wait until you are over 65 to see how much your mutuelle will start costing you. Social inequality still plays a part, although no doubt less than in the States.
Les inégalités sociales😮 quand on importe le tiers-monde faut pas s'étonner
Well said…..this video is very irritating. Germany and Scandinavia are way better
The very poor in France have the CMU (couverture médicale universelle) with 0 cost.... And over 65 years old the basic mutuelle will cost you - + 70€/month, which is very cheap, considering that the last 5 years of your life will represent 90% of what you totalyy costed since you were born...
Yes the french system isn't 100% perfect, but is quite good, even more in comparison to other countries.....
BTW it's a good example of how works the french complaining mentality. We're not complaining because of actual system issues, but because the system isn't 100% perfect for our personnal point of vue...
@@Bruno-tm3xo Ce n'est pas vrai du tout.
@@francois-xavieresperance5007 je clampin, je sais ce que ce collègue a vécu et ce que j’ai moi même vécu en Allemagne .
Le système français est loin d’être le meilleur système de santé sans être le plus mauvais non plus. Faut sortir un peu
One thing you didn't mention is that the mutual insurers (les mutuelles) aren't allowed to make a profit.
Just recently and I live in New York State I had to find a new primary care physician and when I did, I had to book an appointment eight months out because that was their first availability. So for those folks that say it’s a lot faster in the United States. I have to disagree because in the last several years, I’ve had a lot of difficulty, establishing with a new primary care on a timely basis. It sounds like your experience is way better than mine here.
Finally got here! Left Austin in Feb after planning for the last 6 yrs…phew - really enjoy hearing the perspectives of fellow Texans ; )
Bernie Sanders had an Angioplasty. Plus hospital stay Plus Medication.
$75,000+ $2,500 per day +Meds.
Mine in Ireland was Zero. Medication €43:00 per calendar month.
Insulin. Is free. Payed like Domestic Water from National taxation.
🇮🇪🇪🇺
i too have a chronic disease that's taken care of 100% in "ALD" by the state that won't be listed, the type of treatment you've been prescribed (anti interleukin in my case) sometimes can grant you access to ALD "hors-liste".
anyway, happy to see people loving our country and lifestyles, happy our state could take care of your health, every developed country in the world should have this as a standard at the very least. take care, as a french i enjoy watching your videos :)
Bonjour , je regarde vos vidéos avec intérêt . Je vis en Île de France et la vie est très différente de la campagne , ici beaucoup de grandes surfaces , on retrouve souvent les mêmes enseignes et c'est ouvert 7 j / 7
Our dermatologist, in the US, is booking 5 months out. The cardiologist was booking 4 months out.
THANK you so very much. I am TYPE 2 - Diabetes, which runs in my family and glad it is under the ALD! The only thing that is a downer, sort of, is I have high BP and I just read it was removed from the list in 2011.
"...Diabetes, which runs in my family...", glad you mentioned that.
I also have Type 2 diabetes, and every doctor have been to blames it on my diet, lack of excersize, age, work habits...all of which it totally wrong.
I am in good shape, not overweight, excersize, eat properly, and so on.
I have the disease because it's heredetary.
My Mom had it, my aunt had it, my two cousins have it, and yeah, I have it.
Yet, for some bloody reason, docotrs don't want to ackowledge that it is hrereditary.
That's one thing that pisses me about the disease, and the doctors.
The other, which is even more maddening, are all the UA-cam videos, and books claiming you can reverse it IF you eat this, take that vitamin or some plant.
Folks, you cannot reverse diabetes. Once you have it, it's there until you die.
You can sometimes control it, but you cannot reverse it!!!
@@apscoradiales ☹
Thank you for all the arguments you show and talk about in each of your videos. Another thing to know is the CEAM (carte européenne d'assurance maladie) which makes it possible for the health expenses to be taken in charge by the french healtcare system if you need it abroad in the E.U. Wish you all the best for your future here in France.
the difference between the health care industry in the US vs France & Europe is frankly money. yep. i know a lot abt France bc I was educated by the French. but destiny sent me to the US. some of my friends who graduated from Lycee Marie Curie in Saigon went to France and became physicians and dentists. they told me how much they make and at first i was astounded that as an engineer in the US I can make more than them. i have visited France twice, rented a car in the 90s and drove everywhere since i can speak the language: got lost one night somewhere in the Massif Central in the days before Google map; an old man on a bicycle told me where to find lodging. one thing i do like abt the US culture is the casualness vs Europe in general.
In December 2023 I had postponed my annual healthcare check up in the USA. When I went to reschedule, I had to laugh! I could get in to see my primary care doctor for my check up, but not until October 2024! And in March 2020 I was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, but they consider prostate surgery in USA a selective surgery, so was FIVE MONTHS before I finally got my surgery on August 12 2020. During that 5 month wait, my PSA went from 14 to 34! I was lucky the cancer had not spread. In American we DO wait a long time too.
Oh no! I hope you are okay. The American system is criminal.
Thanks again folks. $2200 a month ! Sacre bleu! Here in UK we also have universal health care. Getting health care for any condition is never a concern. At moment NHS reportedly has some minor problems but can say from my wife and I have never experienced any concerns about our care. Which has been life saving at times. Obviously no system is perfect BUT in financial terms ill health care is free at point of use. Can't imagine having to worry about the cost of health care. Yes we do pay for it through our taxes......but if everyone pays a little no one has to pay a lot. I was a UK emergency paramedic and no one had to pay (directly) for our services. Finally my belief is that the first priorities of any governement surely should be the health of their citizens, and safety, protection, education. Though it could be suggested that some government's priorities ensure their rich health companies (owned by friends) can extract as much money as possible from the population.
This is very interesting to hear since all I see on UK news for the last few years is strike after strike given the NHS meltdown (which neoliberal US healthcare companies of course are involved in fueling the root causes of :( ). Most people with my conditions reallt struggle in the UK system but I'm very glad to hear that that is not everyone's experience!
This video makes me feel so proud of being French! Also so glad that our comprehensive solidarity system can benefit others! Welcome to our beautiful country (even tho you ve been installed for quite some time ahah)! 😊
Another amazing video. Trying to get my parents to retire to France for a better life, also debating Spain DNV or a year in France on NLV as a mini retirement to especially spend time with our toddler!
Thanks again, the videos are clutch about a fellow Americans’ experience
Hey guys. Nice to meet you.
I'm here just to say that for healthcare, taxes, school... Italy is just like France. And moving around the EU is so easy...
Visit Tuscany if you don't have yet. 😘
Sounds similar to Canada, but it is even easier. Once you are issued a health care card, all you have to do is show it (if they ask - often they do not) once you are at your appointment. Dental is only covered for low-income, but if you are working, most companies pay dental care via a "top up" private plan. I needed a non-urgent appt last week and it was booked 3 days from my call.
A couple of years ago I had to help an American visiting whose baggage was lost along with his medications. I took him to the local clinic and convinced them to provide prescriptions , he was scared of the cost as the uncovered cost in the states was astronomical. I told him not to worry when I took him to the pharmacie and the cost was 28€.
I have two long-term illnesses that are reimbursed 100%. After a few years, social security put me on disability with a disability rate of 75%. Which means that I don't pay for any care whatsoever, apart from dental prostheses and glasses, which are largely reimbursed by mutual insurance.
I'm also a type 1 diabetic. I live in Besançon, a small city in the east of France. Just yesterday, my diabetician told me he's moving to Turkey. He also told me that all of the other specialists in town have either retired or will retire soon and no one will replace them. Luckily, as a type one diabetic with an insulin pump, the local hospital will take me on as an outpatient. I'm considered a priority patient. So that's fine, I will not have the same personal relationship with my doctor, as they will change all the time, but I know I'll get a good follow up, the hospital will be up to date with all the new research and technical innovations and it will be completely covered by social security. But all of the type 2 diabetics will have to see their family doctors, which is not ideal as this will overburden them even further. So if the healthcare system is still good in France compared to other countries (like the UK and Ireland which I know pretty well), it's going downhill.
Why the UK is bad ?
@@KBinturong it is more like american healthcare
@@KBinturong No, it's not like the American system. There is also universal coverage but it is underfunded. There are fewer hospital beds, fewer doctors. There are huge waiting lists for appointments and operations. But British people are very attached to their National Health Service and want to keep it. The Republic of Ireland, by contrast, is much more like the United States. There is no universal coverage, you need to get private insurance if you can afford it.
I would add that your Mutuelle will only top up a percentage. This increases over the number of years you are with your Mutuelle. This gets rather frightening when you have a cover plan which only covers for 30 days in a private hospital bed because your specialist is affiliated with a private hospital and you are unexpectedly in hospital for longer. Beds are typically 160 a day. State would cover for 40 per day and mutuelle payment is related to the percentage of the payment by the state. Anything over the top you cover.
You can also get your sight tested for free in optical shops, it's a quite recent feature related to the lack of ophtalmologist availability in many parts or France.
There's a name you gonna familiarize with when dealing with the French healthcare system, this name is Ameli...
The way ALD is managed is related to the equality principle (there's a reason French Republic motto "Liberté Egalité Fraternité" is often written in front of many official buildings) : people with chronic health issues like diabetes, Parkinson's diease, Crohn's disease or cysttic fibrosis aren't (usually) responsible for these issues in the first place so it's normal for the cost of these chronic diseases to be shared by the community.
Yes - a short video on Améli would be good. Also Mon Espace Santé. If you are diligent about updating your health details it's really useful when changing généraliste. All your surgery reports can be found there (if you give universal access to health professionals). You can also add your "Directives anticipeés" (advance medical directives) to the file.
Hello guys. You are a lovely couple, you respect and enjoy the culture and you spread quite a lot of happiness around you.
As a French person, it's an honor to pay taxes for valuable guests like you.
I believe this couple has a business which means they are paying taxes into the social system. But yours is a generous offer.
Note that mutuelles are non-profit organizations, which is why they are affordable.
That's not totally true
Only some of them
In the Netherlands we all have to have health insurance which can be expensive. People who cannot afford it are subsidised by the government. You do need a referral to see a specialist and you may have to pay a small sum after visiting a specialist.