france suffers from a high rate of premature male deaths from accidents and unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption which are the most common causes of avoidable mortality regional disparities also remain substantial the difference in life expectancy between those living in the areas with the highest and lowest unemployment rates has increased by half a year since the mid s panel d estimated values for some countries differences in access to health care services across regions and neighbourhoods high outofpocket expenditures for some households heterogeneous medical practices notably among hospitals and the low focus on prevention all play a role