France, Aug. 21 -- The charges, known in France as franchises medicales, apply to medicines, paramedical care, medical transport and consultations. The government announced the planned increase in July as part of efforts to curb rising health spending.

"We are now working on a fair reform, based on indexation to inflation since 2005," Health Minister Stephanie Rist told Le Figaro on Thursday. "The increase will therefore be significantly lower than initially planned."

The cap has stood at €100 since 2005 and has never been adjusted. Rist said that compared with the rising cost of living, its value had effectively fallen.

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