France abandons fines to control health costs

A key plank in the French government's plans to control health costs-the introduction of collective fines for doctors spending more than their allocated budgets-has been halted after being judged unconstitutional.

The Conseil Constitutionnel, the body ruling on the constitutionality of parliamentary procedures and legislation in France, has judged that a planned system of collective fines for doctors if their health spending exceeds the annual amount budgeted by parliament …