Prevention is better than cure! However, prevention remains the weakest link in France, as the health checks which aim to detect possible problems upstream remain underdeveloped. Little-known by employees, Agirc-Arrco, the complementary private pension fund, nevertheless offers free medical and psychosocial assessments in its 14 prevention centers spread across the territory. Aimed at working people from the age of 50 and retirees, they are now accessible by teleconsultation with 2,000 meetings offered this summer.
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Composed of interviews with a doctor and a psychologist, this assessment assesses the person's overall medical, psychological and social situation. The aim is to identify the risk factors as early as possible and thus maintain their independence for as long as possible.
Many ignore it, but Medicare also offers a free health check-up to all insured persons and their dependents affiliated to the general scheme and to the Mutuelle sociale agricole. Here again, the objective is to detect any latent pathologies or affections (dental problems, cancers, cardiovascular disorders, addictions, etc.), in order to offer early treatment.
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While health spending in France represents just over 11% of GDP, one of the highest proportions in OECD countries, more than 75,000 people died there in 2015 from preventable causes of death thanks to prevention, such as lung cancer or alcohol-related illnesses.