PARIS — Women who undergo abortions by taking the controversial RU 486 pill will be reimbursed for 80% of the cost under the national health care program, the government said today.

Health Minister Claude Evin signed a decree guaranteeing reimbursements for the pill-induced abortions. The head of a major abortion clinic said today she did not believe the decision will increase the number of abortions in France, where the operation has been legal since 1975.

Dr. Elisabeth Aubeny, head of the abortion clinic at the Broussais Hospital in Paris, said, "The decision to terminate a pregnancy is not a question of money. It's because the patient has no other choice."

The cost of a pill-induced abortion is $246, slightly more than other types of abortion. The national health-care program, which covers most medical and dental-care costs in France, has partially covered abortions since 1983.