Impatient for change
France
Summary France Delivery Deficit Solidarity Gap Inferiority Complex Marks out of 10
39
2nd
57
7th
-59 6.9
Bottom
Commentary CĂŠcile Philippe
Top
Pessimism Ranking
63
=6th
Reform Index
74
=4th
M
ajor protests during the spring of 2003 prompted the French government to delay its proposals
for healthcare reform. Reforms are now expected to take place in the autumn of 2004. In the meantime, the government has set up the Haut Conseil (High Council) for the future of social insurance. Headed by Bernard Fragonard (president of the Cour des Comptes, the French state auditors), the council, colloquially known as the Fragonard Commission, has gathered 57 stakeholders in 17 categories, making a total, along with 23 politicians, of 80 attendees. It published its initial findings on 23 January 2004. Noting the financial disaster affecting social security, the commission concluded that the system requires urgent reform through the improvement of the healthcare system, modification of the conditions for reimbursement of the cost of drugs and treatments, and action in terms of state revenue. So how do the French Populus poll findings square with the proposals for reform, and what messages resonate most strongly for politicians?
78
Impatient.indb 78-79
79
13/5/04 6:56:14 pm