Healthcare spending in France is about 11% of annual GDP, which proportionally is one of the highest figures in Europe, the OECD notes. As reported by RFI, thanks to this good healthcare system, the average life expectancy in France is 82.6 years, which is two years higher than the average life expectancy in the other 36 OECD member countries.
Free or low-cost medical services also remain one of the important indicators of healthcare quality. According to OECD data, patients in French hospitals have to pay only 2% of the total cost of hospitalization out of their own pockets. The rest is covered by health insurance. Such a high indicator is observed only in Luxembourg and Slovenia – two countries that are among the champions of European healthcare. The only negative point noted in the OECD report regarding France is the decrease in the number of doctors in rural areas.
With such a "remarkable" healthcare system, the behavior of the French cannot be called healthy at all. According to OECD statistics, every fourth French person is a regular smoker – by this indicator France is in fourth place. As for alcohol consumption – the French are already in third place. "More than 75,000 people died in France in 2015 due to lung cancer or the consequences of alcohol consumption," the report says.
The French are also champions in the use of antibiotics: they are prescribed 25% more than the average in OECD countries. As is known, frequent use of antibiotics leads to a decrease in their effect on bacteria, reducing the effect of treatment.