Lessons from a comparison of ambulatory care in France and Germany

QES n° 290
2024/06

ABSTRACT
Germany is the cradle of social health insurance, as the first health insurance scheme was introduced by the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck at the end of the nineteenth century. While France based its social security system on the German model, the healthcare systems developed differently in the two countries. Healthcare spending in Germany, followed by France, are currently the highest in the world after the United States. However, the composition of these expenditures varies between the two countries. Both in Germany and France, the ambulatory and hospital care sectors are distinctly separate in terms of their organisation, funding, and regulation. This analysis, drawn from a broader study that compares healthcare spending in Germany and France, focusses on the organisation of ambulatory care in the two countries. By comparing the principal mechanisms and policies that define and regulate the volumes and prices of ambulatory care, we identify possibilities for improving the management of healthcare spending in France.

See also Questions d'économie de la santé n° 290 in French: Comparaison des soins ambulatoires en France et en Allemagne : quels enseignements ?

See also Report n° 590 in French: Comparaison des dépenses de santé en France et en Allemagne