Strong Rise In French Health Spending Continues

7 July 1996

The strong increase in French health care expenditures in 1995 has shown few signs of slackening in 1996, according to the accounts commission, which also notes a "marked pick-up in drug spending" last year, characterized by higher volume. This trend is now seen as virtually creating the coalition of government and health funds to promote generics (see also page 13).

Total French medical consumption increased 4.6% in terms of value and 1.8% by volume in 1995, with reimbursable spending reaching 700 billion French francs ($135.82 billion), or 11,988 francs ($1,326) per head of population. The rise was especially sharp in general medicine and in the pharmaceutical sector, according to the commission.

The increase in spending directly or indirectly devoted to the reimbursement of health care, ie, either to the purchase of drugs and medicines or to prevention, had slowed in 1992 from 6.5% to 5.7%, followed by annual growth of 3% during 1993 and 1994. The first marked decline in health spending occurred between 1985 and 1993, when annual growth averaged 7.6%, or half the rate recorded in earlier periods. The commission notes that in this long-term perspective, the rise in 1995 was "singular."

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