54. Thomas Buchmueller and Agnes Couffinhal,
40. Cowen, "Poor U.S. Scores in Health Care Don't
"Private Health Insurance in France," OECD
Measure Nobels or Innovation."
Health Working Paper no. 12, 2004. In this sense
41. "The Novartis Warning," Wall Street Journal, May
at least, French physicians may have more free-
8, 2002.
dom than American physicians under Medicare,
which prohibits balance-billing.
42. See Alain Enthoven, "The History and Principles
of Managed Competition," Health Affairs 12, suppl. 1
55. Francesca Columbo and Nicole Tapay, "Private
(1993): 2448.
Health Insurance in the OECD Countries: The Benef-
its and Costs for Individuals and Health Systems,"
43. Michael Tanner, "No Miracle in Massachusetts:
OECD Health Working Paper no. 15, 2004.
Why Governor Romney's Health Care Reform
Won't Work," Cato Institute Briefing Paper no. 97,
56. OECD, "OECD Health Data 2007: Statistics
June 6, 2006.
and Indicators for 30 Countries."
44. Jonathan Cohn, Sick: The Untold Story of America's
57. Buchmueller and Couffinhal, "Private Health
Health Care Crisis--And the People Who Pay the Price
Insurance in France." It is important to note,
(New York: HarperCollins, 2007), p. 226.
however, that this deregulated insurance is supple-
mental coverage. No one can be disqualified for
45. Ezra Klein, "Health Care Wrap Up," www.ezrak
health reasons from basic coverage.
lein. com, April 25, 2005; http://www.prospect.org/cs
nc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=04&year=2005&
58. Ibid.
base_name=health_care_wrapup.
59. Rodwin, "The Health Care System under French
46. Mattke et al., "Health Care Quality Indicators
National Health Insurance."
Project."
60. Ibid.
47. Victor Rodwin, "The Health Care System under
61. Valentin Petkantchin, "Pernicious Myths about
French National Health Insurance: Lessons for Health
Public Health Insurance in France," Economic Note
Reform in the United States," American Journal of Public
(Brussels: Institut Economique Molinari, 2007),
Health 93, no. 1 (2003): 34. Note that the total tax bur-
http://www.institutmolinari.org/pubs/note20
den is higher than the health care system's percentage
071.pdf.
of GDP because of the costs associated with the non-
working population--that is, children, the elderly, and
62. "La Securite Social," Report of the French Court
the unemployed.
of Audit, September 2006.
48. Philippe Manière et al., "Perspectives on the
63. Manière et al., "Perspectives on the European
European Health Care Systems: Some Lessons for
Health Care Systems."
America," Heritage Foundation Lecture no. 711,
July 9, 2001.
64. Paul Dutton, "Health Care in France and the
United States: Learning from Each Other,"
49. "French Health Insurance System to Post 10.3-
Brookings Institution, July 2002.
Billion-Euro Deficit," EU Business, August 6, 2006.
65. Rodwin, "The Health Care System under French
50. "Deficit-Saddled France under Fire over Bud-
National Health Insurance.
get," Reuters, July 5, 2007. Members of the Eurozone
are required to keep budget deficits below 3 percent
66. Alexander Dorozynski, "French Health Staff
of GDP.
Strike over Budget Cuts," British Medical Journal
320 (February 2000): 333; Alexander Dorozynski,
51. "French Health Care Is Badly Run," BBC News,
"French Medical System Beset by Strikes," British
August 8, 2006.
Medical Journal 324 (February 2002): 258.
52. Martine Bellanger, Veneta Cherilova, and Valerie
67. High Council for the Future of Health Insur-
Paris, "The Health Benefit Package in France,"
ance, "L'Avenir de l'Assurance Maladie: L'Urgence
European Journal of Health Economics 6, suppl. 1
d'un Redressment par la Qualité" (Paris, Ministry of
(2005): 2429.
Health, 2004).
53. Simone Sandier et al., "France," in Health Care
68. Valentin Petkantchin, "The Ineffectiveness of
Systems in Transition, eds. Sarah Thomson and Elias
Health Cost Containment Policies in France,"
Mossialos (Brussels: The European Observatory on
Economic Note (Brussels: Institut Economique
Health Care Systems, 2004).
39