Health Insurance

France's health-care system was ranked as the world's best—Here's how it compares with the US'

Here's what 'Medicare-for-All' looks like in France
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Here's what 'Medicare-for-All' looks like in France

Health care has become a major focus of the 2020 elections.

With the Democrats pushing for a government-funded model and President Donald Trump campaigning on repealing Obamacare without a clear alternative, Americans are considering what kind of health care system they may want.

"Medicare for All" has become a mantra among the left-of-center Democrats, with most of their plans calling for a universal single-payer health-care system, closely modeled after Canada's health-care system. But there's another national health-care system that's worth paying attention to: France's.

France's health-care system, which is called "social security," has been globally recognized for overall quality. In a 2000 report, the World Health Organization ranked it the best national health-care system in the world.

Here's how France manages to provide universal coverage to its residents while spending half as much as the U.S. does.