If they raised the work week by 3 hours, it means appr. $2000 additional annual earnings for the minimum wage French worker if the employer was to change it, however, it would be without overtime for those hours, but with higher vacation pay. Compare those wages to Walmart hourly employees, company restricted to 30 hours a week in oder to minimize benefits, and at 1/2 French wages. It's significant because Walmart is by far our largest employer, and a high percentage of those employees qualify for food stamps and other government assistance on our dollar. One can say all they want about the French, however, they do appear to be substantially more clever than we are on such matters.
France's Healthcare in Trouble
- Thread starter TuTu Monroe
- Start date
If they raised the work week by 3 hours, it means appr. $2000 additional annual earnings for the minimum wage French worker if the employer was to change it, however, it would be without overtime for those hours, but with higher vacation pay. Compare those wages to Walmart hourly employees, company restricted to 30 hours a week in oder to minimize benefits, and at 1/2 French wages. It's significant because Walmart is by far our largest employer, and a high percentage of those employees qualify for food stamps and other government assistance on our dollar. One can say all they want about the French, however, they do appear to be substantially more clever than we are on such matters.
I do, but at least I said something! I know those things would be Hell to some. Happier, healthy people and no slums, crime a fraction of ours, want or poverty is obviously a better solution.....to some.
Epicurus
Reasonable
Nothing on that list is good in any realistic sort of way. They may "sound" good to the uneducated, but that is hardly the same thing. Nothing is free.
Socrtease
Verified User
France's healthcare system is in EVERY WAY better than ours. and they spend less than we do providing it. How is this a bad thing? I still have doubts that our government can put something together to get anything resolved but the cheese eating surrender monkies get this right.
Socrtease
Verified User
And with all of this the French still have slightly more disposable income than we do, with health insurance.
I gotta go with epicurus, and the american rightwing, on this one.
This sounds like a bloody nightmare.
It isn't in "every way" better than ours. They have a low level of medical technology because their system doesn't incentivize such investment. It is pretty much the only thing where our current system is better than theirs, but it is certainly something we can aim to avoid while making our system.
Such exaggerations are what makes me understand that any intelligent conversation on this subject is pretty much impossible. Somebody will point out what we can do better than France, then somebody else will jump in on how perfect they are and then say how much it is better "in every way" than ours. There is a very big reality that those who are covered by this system in France and who can't afford the copays or gap insurance to help them with the copays are simply left out of the system. They are counted as "covered" but in reality they simply do not get care.
The Japanese found a way to avoid this pitfall, maybe we should look in that direction.
One thing that I know, the vast majority of these places (including Japan) rely on the US as a military ally, because of that relationship they are able to spend far less militarily than they otherwise would and almost all of them spend those savings that we help provide to afford government provided health care.
Try getting your facts into a realistic proportion...France is not doing well. They have horrendous slums with housing fit only for the rats that live along side the human inhabitants. Their unemployment is sky rocketing. Their healthcare system does NOT cover everyone. They do eat better than Amricans and they do provide cheap energy via nuclear power plants.
TuTu Monroe
A Realist
My numbers are correct.
The US is doing well? Who in France is not entitled to medical care? Where are these slums? Have you ever been to Bedford-Stuyvestant or Robert Taylor? Have you been to France? Does France spend less on healthcare than we do and still get better results? How much does an average French worker earn? From 2001 to 2008 the US median income declined for the first time in history, the French raised the minimum wage. They use a more honest method of counting the unemployed than we do, we leave out 1/3 in our stats. Try getting the facts not myth out of your myopic US dreamworld.
TuTu Monroe
A Realist
I guess the million plus workers who went on strike to force the government to do more to protect jobs and wages during the economic crisis doesn't count, huh?
True, the actual unemployment rate in the US is around 16%.
We are ahead of most countries in cancer survival rates.
I haven't been to France, but I've been to Norway, and I must say that subsidized day care, 35 hour work weeks, mandatory 5 weeks paid vacation, mandatory paid maternity/paternity leave, and relatively cheap, publically financed health care insurance sounds like a complete socialist nightmare!
Can't we let free markets decide?
uscitizen
Villified User
We are also ahead of most countries with Personal bankruptcies due to medical costs.
cancel2 2022
Canceled
To say that the French health system has a low level of technology is just bonkers as anybody who has been to a French hospital will tell you. The reason why their system is feeling the strain is because the French are the biggest hypochondriacs on the planet, even more so than Americans, and will go to a hospital outpatients for the slightest reason. It is a problem that has been known about for a long time but nobody in France has the courage to do anything about it.
Cancel 2016.2
The Almighty
Is it that or is it that because the health care is "free", they don't think about the costs of running to the doctor every time they get the sniffles?
cancel2 2022
Canceled
I suppose that is partly the reason but the French seems to be programmed to think they are ill most of the time. They also seem to have an anal fixation as most of their prescribed drugs are taken as suppositories even analgesics.
http://uk.imazir.net/differences-in/20-reasons-why-english-hate-the-french/
uscitizen
Villified User
The French are republicans?
They invented the word.