The medical profession and health insurance policies: A Franco‐German comparison

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In Germany doctors arc highly organized within the welfare state, whereas in France they have traditionally fought against this. As they are more institutionalized, German doctors have a key position in health insurance policy networks, which arc referred to as ‘asymmetric corporatism’. In France the state ‐ facing a less institutionalized and more fragmented medical profession ‐ is the central actor in the network, characterized as ‘statist’. Cost‐containment policies are adjusted to those networks: self‐administrative regulation in Germany, administrative regulation in France. The limitations of these policies have led to changes. In Germany the exclusive reform of 1992 cannot be explained solely by political factors: the transformation of the organized representation of doctors has to be taken into account. In France changes are limited because of the non co‐operative strategy of those involved in their implementation: the doctors, first and foremost, but also the sickness funds.

This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit: