National government and health insurance collaboration, France

The French government and the National Health Insurance are working together to reduce health inequalities among the French population. The two entities have recently signed a contract (COG) for the 2010-2013 period that reasserts, among other clauses, their common determination in this field. The National Health Insurance has focused on the precarious population’s access to health system by implementing preventive actions and by optimizing medical examinations provided in health examination centers.

The goal is to improve precarious people’s access to curative and preventive care and, more globally, to move closer those who are the most removed from the health system. Many actions are being implemented to reach this goal:
– Specifically integrate precarious people with prevention policies
– Reinforce the priority given to precarious people in the medical consultations provided in health examination centers managed by the National Health Insurance
– Increase the number of people who can benefit from Universal Health Coverage (free health care for people on low incomes) and its complementary insurance.
– Maintain care services that are financially affordable for all citizens, whatever their level of resources
– Fight refusals to provide care and obtain a better regulation of practitioner’s tariffs

Addressing health inequalities also requires maintaining a harmonious repartition of health care providers, from a geographically standpoint, that is to limit medical desertification (lack of medical equipments in some areas). Some measures have been adopted:
– Providing financial incentives to professionals who accept to work in rural areas
– Supporting the development of cooperation among health professionals
– Supporting the development of telemedicine in areas under-provided with general practitioners

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