Health and medicine: What's new in France in 2026

# A new minimal charge could be brought in for Americans and others who live in France who use its health system without having contributed to it, especially if they do not pay French income tax due to double tax treaties.

The measure, added as an amendment to the 2026 social security finance law, targets in particular people on ‘visitor’ visas/residency cards. It aims to end a loophole by which, since the creation of Puma universal healthcare via residency in 2016, some foreign people obtain healthcare for ‘free’.

Social security finance law

# Several other health-related measures are proposed as part of the 2026 social security finance law, including one which could see sick-leave payments for people with recognised long-term health conditions (ALDs) become taxable, though probably exempted at 50%.

Other proposals include cuts to reimbursements for some dental care and medical devices, the annual caps for franchises médicales levies (on boxes of medicine, care from professionals such as physiotherapists and nurses, and on medical transport) doubled to €100, and a first sick note limited to 15 (30 if in hospital) days before renewal.

France Santé

A France Santé label for health centres meeting certain quality criteria will be rolled out to more places around France, with the object of establishing 2,000 by summer 2026 and 5,000 ‘by 2027’, according to the prime minister.

The aim is to have at least one such structure within 30 minutes of everyone’s home, and to be able to secure a doctor’s appointment within 48 hours.

Each France Santé structure (many of which will be existing multi-professional health centres) must have at least a doctor and a nurse, offer appointments at standard state fees without extra charges, and be open at least five days a week.

More people are likely to digitise their carte Vitale in 2026, which as of late 2025 can be done by downloading an app simply called ‘carte vitale’.

Read more: watch out for unregulated therapists in France

Disability support

Improvements are promised to simplify life for disabled people, including an in-person meeting at the maison départementale des personnes handicapés for all those making a first request for a disability benefit, to explain their rights and help them fill in the forms.

Families with disabled children whose condition is not expected to improve will no longer have to make renewed requests for AEEH benefit every two or three years. 

Similarly, extra financial aids or adaptations provided to children in schooling will all be allocated for a complete school ‘period’ (maternelle, primaire, collège, lycée).

All of a person’s disability entitlements will have the same start and renewal dates. Benefits will continue even after an entitlement period ends if a renewal request was submitted in time but processing is taking longer than expected.

Read more: French MPs definitively pass 2026 social security budget

Other proposals

The transition into retirement is promised to be fluid for the people concerned, with no break in income if changing from the AAH disability benefit (mainly for those of working age) to a retirement pension and/or Aspa pension top-up.

A decree is expected to set a maximum permitted concentration of nicotine in smoking and vaping products, and to ban certain vape ‘flavours’, which are thought to encourage young people to use them.

From January 1, GPs can offer a new €60 ‘long consultation’ for patients over 80, once a year, to complete certain time-consuming tasks. These could include a review of medications, to fill in a form requiring medical input (eg. for APA dependency benefit), or to review their situation after coming out of hospital.