In case of a health problem, who do you trust to treat you? This question, posed to the French as part of the BPCE’s Barometer of Guarantees*, reveals a distrust on their part towards the State.
Questioned in February in the middle of a debate on the pension reform, 53% of the French state that they are concerned about their health in the future and trust above all in themselves in case of problems. A ratio of up to 9 points in a year. At the same time, the trust in the state to protect them has dropped by 8 points.
In detail, when asked which actors are best able to protect them, 63% of those surveyed answered that mutual insurance companies, ahead of families (57%) and lastly the public health system (54%).
“Health, like retirement, is a big concern for the French, who are increasingly concerned about the help that the State will give them in the event of a problem, says François Codet, general manager of BPCE Assurances. This leads to a tendency to withdraw into oneself, particularly marked among the most vulnerable people. A two-speed perception that continues to widen the disparities between the French”.
71% of those without a diploma say they are confident in themselves
In fact, it is the a priori less affluent people who have the least confidence in the State to receive treatment. 61% of workers and employees say they mainly trust those around them to protect them in the event of a health problem, an increase of 10 points in one year. On the contrary, it is the executives who most trust that the State is protected with 56% of favorable opinions compared to only 32% of the workers.
Very marked disparities also according to diploma level, since 71% of those without a diploma say they depend on themselves for their health, while only 47% believed so a year earlier.
As a reminder, according to the DREES, the coverage of health expenses by Health Insurance represented 80% of expenses in 2021, a rate that has increased slightly since the health crisis. France continues to be one of the countries where household out-of-pocket health expenditures are the lowest within the OECD. It is 8.9% of current spending on health in the international sense (DCSi).
Among the world’s rich countries, only Luxembourg has a lower OOP than France (8.8%). In other words, for every 100 euros of health spending, the French pay an average of 9 euros out of pocket compared to 13 euros for the Germans, 14 for the Swedes, 22 for the Spanish, 24 for the Italians or even 30 for the Portuguese.
Source: BFM TV
