France plans medical charge for cancer funding

DAX, France, July 31 (Reuters) French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today a new levy on health care to raise funds to fight cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

French health care is free for everyone registered with social security, but Sarkozy has long argued that medical research needs additional funding and says patients should start paying token fees to help cover the cost.

Under the plan, patients would pay a non-refundable 0.50 euro per prescription drug, 0.50 euro for paramedical aid and 2 euros for medical transport, such as ambulance journeys.

The amount levied would be capped at 50 euros per year per person, with low-income families exempt from paying the charge.

Speaking during a visit to a hospital in Dax, in southwestern France, Sarkozy also announced the creation of a fifth branch of social security protection which would specifically target old people and the handicapped.

REUTERS ARB HS1726