Practical experiences, problems and outlooks considering as example the German-French border region
This conference was the occasion to publish several studies that had been realised by Euro-Info-Consumers during the months of November and December 2004 and January 2005 in the Oberrhein region.
Euro-Info-Consumers analysed not only the behaviour of consumers in the border region and in which way patients cross the border in order to get a treatment in the neighbouring state but also the deficits in health care as well as prescription requirements and prices of medicine in Germany and France.
Indeed today the consumer is free to buy his medicine in every European Member state and ask for reimbursement from the health and insurance fund of his country and this under the same conditions as if the medicine had been prescribed and charged in his own country. Therefore he benefits from a larger choice and can make profit of the European single market.
The studies realised by Euro-Info-Consumers show that in general:
Medicine is less expensive in France
In our border region the consumer can easily compare the prices of medicine between the two countries. The study has shown that in general the prices are lower in France. Numerous German consumers cross the border in order to by in France their birth control pills (non refundable in Germany) or the morning-after pill, freely available. Also aspirin is less expensive. The price difference between the two countries can attain more then 70%!
But the service provided by the pharmacies better in Germany
The German pharmacies offer an attractive proximity service for the consumers. The pharmacist takes the necessary time to inform and advice his customers in order to be competitive on this market.
This may also be the reason why most of the pharmacists propose also a large choice of paramedical products. The French consumer can easily find in Germany homeopathic products or paramedical products that are not (yet) commercialised in France. In Kehl, just on the other sides of the border river Rhine, the pharmacists make about 40% of their income with their French customers.
And online shopping?
In France it is forbidden to sell medicine on the Internet. But products that don’t need a prescription in France can be sold to French customers via web sites from another European country (CJEC, « Doc Morris » , 11.12.2003 C-322/01).
