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I am not familiar with France, but the first line in Wikipedia is: "The French health care system is one of universal health care largely financed by governmen

I am not familiar with France, but the first line in Wikipedia is: "The French health care system is one of universal health care largely financed by government national health insurance." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_France https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_France Then when I look into Switzerland, I see: "Healthcare in Switzerland is universal and is regulated by the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance. There are no free state-provided health services, but private health insurance is compulsory for all persons residing in Switzerland" I also read: "Swiss are required to purchase basic health insurance, which covers a range of treatments detailed in the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance. It is therefore the same throughout the country and avoids double standards in healthcare. Insurers are required to offer this basic insurance to everyone, regardless of age or medical condition. They are not allowed to make a profit off this basic insurance, but can on supplemental plans." "The insured person pays the insurance premium for the basic plan up to 8% of their personal income. If a premium is higher than this, the government gives the insured person a cash subsidy to pay for any additional premium." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Switzerland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Switzerland --- Now let's not quibble. The core question her is, "Should basic healthcare be a marketplace?" If basic healthcare is a marketplace, providers can charge what they like, and it's "caveat emptor" when it comes to purchasing healthcare, whether it's directly purchasing treatment, or purchasing insurance. Here in Canada there are lots of non-basic kinds of healthcare that are a marketplace. How much does it cost to get a cortisone shot so that I can cycle? I don't know until I shop around. Same for physiotherapy, chiropractic care (is that heath care or phrenology?), dental care, orthodontics, and lots of things involving mental health. But basic health care--for some definition of "basic"--is not a marketplace, and it is not optional whether you are covered.

coredog64 7y ago
I guess that’s the difference between Wikipedia and using it :) How the French government finances insurance is orthogonal to how consumers purchase outpatient care. The capsule summary is that patients go to the doctor. The pay 100% of the visit cost. The insurance company reimbursement is 80% of “reasonable and customary “ value that is widely known. Et voila, functioning price discovery without a dystopian society. (There are some caveats. If you’re indigent, the government gives you a special card that allows the provider to bill the insurance directly. You can buy private insurance that covers your 20% and doesn’t require as much reimbursement hassle at the cost of constraining your provider choice. And naturally none of this applies to inpatient hospital admissions)

coredog64 7y ago

I guess that’s the difference between Wikipedia and using it :) How the French government finances insurance is orthogonal to how consumers purchase outpatient care. The capsule summary is that patients go to the doctor. The pay 100% of the visit cost. The insurance company reimbursement is 80% of “reasonable and customary “ value that is widely known. Et voila, functioning price discovery without a dystopian society. (There are some caveats. If you’re indigent, the government gives you a special card that allows the provider to bill the insurance directly. You can buy private insurance that covers your 20% and doesn’t require as much reimbursement hassle at the cost of constraining your provider choice. And naturally none of this applies to inpatient hospital admissions)