[The health care system in France and Germany]

The two countries have adopted the Bismarckian scheme for the organization and financing of their health care. In particular, the medical doctors are paid on a fee-for-service basis, by the sickness funds of which financial resources come from compulsory contributions of employers and employees. Nowadays, France and Germany are different as concerns a large number of features but they are facing similar challenges: * the health expenditures are steadily rising and threatening the equilibrium of all the national economy * since 1980, if not earlier, the two countries have experienced physician surplus: in France, a system of numerus clausus was imposed upon student intake since the early 70's; in Germany, in 1992, a system of geographical numerus clausus was imposed upon setting up new medical practices * as a result, but for different reasons, each country is now slowly entering an era of physician shortage * during the last two decades, each country has tried to implement various reforms but, so far, the results are not convincing.