Both groups of students understand that healthcare is necessary, but Bowdoin students seem frustrated that it is sometimes inaccessible in America. Are you happy with the health care system in France? Would you change anything about it?

Je suis plutôt d’accord avec toi (sarah.C). Pour répondre à ta question, la sécurité social en France c’est un peu comme une religion, on en est fier et il faut pas y toucher… La politique en France est historiquement très sociale, on y investit énormément et en comparaison avec les autres pays développés ça a l’air de marcher… Mais notre système de sécurité social est loin d’être parfait, on parle souvent dans l’actualité du “trou de la sécu” (le déficit) qui augmente d’année en année, ou bien du manque de médecin et de personnel hospitalier. Cela étant dit, la qualité des soins restent bon et ceux-ci restent accessibles pour tous.
Du côté américain de la liste, on voit vraiment une dualité entre “Acess, universal, affordable…” et “Wealth, expensive, inadequate…”, quelles sont les inégalités face à l’accessibilité de la sécurité social aux états-unis? Cela va-t-il évoluer avec la présidence de Trump?

I noticed that two Bowdoin students wrote “unequal” for one of their healthcare word associations. Conversely, several students from Toulouse chose “égalité” or “égalitaire”. From my personal perspective, there is a major issue in the United States with the unequal quality and access to health care across the country. For example, in cities like Boston and New York there are many high quality hospitals in the area. While the health care is expensive, citizens can relatively easily get treatment. However, in more rural areas like Maine there is not this same level of access to health care. Moreover, there is often not much of a choice for people, there are not usually several hospitals or health service providers in an area. Unfortunately, I do not see these problems changing any time soon. Would you say that most of the hospitals or health service providers are able to give similar levels of care in different areas? Additionally, do you find that drug treatment costs in France are far too hight?

*high?

The Toulouse students made a lot of input about health care i.e the act of care giving coming first and they also stated that health care is better in France than in the United States. What are the health care policies and what is the government’s stand on health care provision for their citizens? Do you consider a person’s health as worth more than the affordability? Are there effective government subsidies or insurance on health care?

Students from Toulouse associate the idea of health care with (from popular American sentiments) fantastical characteristics. The idea of a government-controlled, free system is something that only daring politicians advocate in the States and is usually met with harsh opposition both from insurance companies as well as the people. I am wondering: What are your reactions, in France, to the ardent criticism of European systems of single-payer healthcare?

The responses of students from both Bowdoin and Toulouse reflect an overwhelming belief that equal access to quality health care should be a basic right of all citizens. In the United States, this is not currently the case, whereas in France and almost all other developed nations, free healthcare has long been considered one of the basic services that the government should provide to the public. To the students in Toulouse: do you find it strange that this subject is so controversial in the United States?

Bonjour Ajoyce pour répondre à ta question je ne trouve pas étrange que l’accès gratuit aux soins pour tous soit un sujet tabou aux Etats Unis si on considère que, dans les pays dans lesquels la sécurité sociale est si importante et ancrée dans les acquis, on s’aperçoit que progressivement elle tend à se réduire de plus en plus. En France la liste de produits non remboursés augmente au fil des années . La part remboursée par la sécurité sociale devient de plus en plus faible par rapport à celle prise en charge par les mutuelles, qui sont en fait des assurances privées payantes.