Is medical care too expensive ?

What are the costs of a medical consultation in France compared to our European neighbours ?

To put these increases into perspective, it is worth asking whether French doctors are better or worse paid than their counterparts in the rest of Europe.

The cost of general practitioner consultations in France is on the lower end of the European average. In comparison, in countries like Germany, consultations can cost more than €60, while in Italy, prices vary significantly depending on the region and healthcare facility, often exceeding €50. However, the fees charged by French general practitioners account for only 80% of their total income. The remaining 20% is funded by Social Security through fixed allowances, productivity indicators, or patient type. Therefore, the consultation price alone is not enough to compare earnings.

According to the National Health Insurance Fund, the average income of a general practitioner reaches €89,000 per year in 2023. This is lower than in Germany or Switzerland but higher than in Belgium or Italy. However, this comparison does not take into account working conditions or working hours. Moreover, it should be put into perspective with the standard of living in each country.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published a study in 2020 showing the income level of general practitioners relative to the average salary in the country where they practice. In France, a general practitioner earns, on average, three times the national average salary. Only the United Kingdom and Germany perform better. This is also significantly more than in the Netherlands, where a general practitioner earns 2.3 times the average salary.

Thus, it appears that the remuneration of French doctors is not out of step with that of other doctors in Europe.

The Cost of Consultations in Relation to GDP and Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In France, the price of consultations reflects the overall cost of healthcare, which accounted for 11.2% of GDP in 2022, according to OECD data. This is slightly above the European average of around 9.9% of GDP. Among European countries, only Germany and Switzerland have higher healthcare expenditures as a percentage of GDP.
What does this mean? It indicates that our healthcare system does not cost significantly more than those in the rest of Europe; however, its funding model is very different.

In France, out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, in the international sense, stood at 8.7% in 2021. This is the lowest rate among OECD countries. By comparison, out-of-pocket expenses in Greece were around 34%.

As a result, if households are not paying directly at the time of care, it is the National Health Insurance and supplemental health insurance providers that cover the costs, following a deferred and salary-proportional financing model.