France's 2000 health spend hits record level

French health spending rose over 6% in 2000, up 35 billion French francsto total over 675 billion francs ($97.6 million). This beat all health spending records, with growth rates considerably higher than that allowed for in government cost-control legislation.

The rise is almost equivalent to France's total research budget for the year, and observers note the irony of this in a year when the medical profession complained that health care was being rationed. The 2000 data, published by the health fund organization CNAM, indicate a 5.9% rise in spending but, with hospital sector credits of 1.4 billion francs added in, the rise is 6.1%-6.2%, against growth of 4.2% in 1998 and 6.2% in 1999.

The data reflects a sharp rise in both general medical practice and drug spending, with the latter up 11.8% or twice 1999's growth rate. Despite the efforts of ex-Health Minister Martine Aubry to rein in soaring drug spending, the policy appears almost to have encouraged growth in this sector. Neither the launch of the generic drug promotion program, nor the 20% cut over three years in the prices of 650 drug products, seems to have had any impact, except on the assumption that, without these measures, spending would have been even higher.