Though they are presented as egalitarian, public health policies make extensive use of patient selection. As Maud Gelly demonstrates in an illuminating new book, this practice contributes significantly to health-related social inequality.
The Covid-19 virus follows years of austerity politics in Europe and this market-driven ideology is already shaping discussions of how we should handle it. This article examines the way these decisions have affected our ability to respond to the current epidemic.
Far from lessening inequality between social groups in France, the organisation of the healthcare system and the practices of healthcare professionals actually serve to increase disparity. The sociology of social relations shows that the health system is not used or organised in the same way depending on the social class to which patients belong.
