Less than a year ago, when Nicolas Sarkozy was running for president, health was not a priority. Indeed Le Monde, a leading French newspaper, carried the headline: “Health, the missing item in Nicolas Sarkozy’s reforms.”1 The reason for this omission may have been that the French health system is largely well perceived by citizens and users. However, the recent debate over the introduction of further non-reimbursable charges of €0.50 (£0.37; $0.75) for each drug packet and paramedical services such as physiotherapy, which came into effect at the beginning of this year, suggests that this satisfaction could become eroded.2 This article outlines the structure of France’s health system, analyses patients’ perceptions of it, and comments on the challenges it faces, not least with containing the high costs.