Friday, February 09, 2018

Health Inequality in France

France's richest people live up to 13 years longer than the poorest, according to a new study. 


The study shows that the richest 5 percent of men in France enjoy a life expectancy of up to 13 years longer than the poorest 5 percent.
And while the disparity between women in the same groups is lower, it is still eight years, according to the report. 

One of the main reasons behind the findings is that the less well-off in France are more likely to suffer health problems and have less access to healthcare. 

According to a 2014 survey, 11 percent of adults in the bottom 20 percent said they had given up consulting a doctor in the last 12 months for financial reasons, compared to 1 percent of adults in the top 20 percent.
In France most patients have to pay up front to see a doctor with the fee having risen recently from €23 to 25 euros while the cost of seeing a specialist can be a lot more. Costs are then refunded partly by the state and partly by insurance schemes known as "mutuelles" which need to be paid for. 

The INSEE study also shows that "with or without a degree, the higher the standard of living, the higher the life expectancy". 
In other words, while education is a contributing factor, income is more important in indicating life expectancy. 

In France, differences in life expectancy also exist between regions.
People in the Pays de la Loire in the west, Occitanie in southern France and the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France have the highest life expectancy. 
In Paris women can expect to live to 85.9 years while men live to 80.8.
Meanwhile the Hauts-de-France and Normandy in the north of the country are the French regions where life expectancy is at its lowest. 
In the Hauts-de-France life expectancy for women is 83.6 years while for men it's 76.9 while in Normandy women have a life expectancy of 84.5 while men can expect to live to 78. 

These disparities "can be explained by differences in eating habits, consumption of tobacco and alcohol, pollution and the environment, and also in the provision of care" in different regions.




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