France to tighten sick‑leave controls amid rising costs

The French government estimates that daily sickness benefits paid by the health insurance system now total €17.9 billion a year, about €7 billion more than a decade ago, with an average annual increase of 6.5 % from 2019 to 2023. Calling the growth "unsustainable," the executive announced a two‑pronged plan for 2026. In the private sector, it will intensify existing checks – targeting long‑term leaves, work‑accident cases, teleconsultations and "medical nomadism" – and introduce a digital form that lets employers swiftly alert the health‑insurance fund. The plan also offers companies a self‑diagnostic kit and expands the SOS IJ platform for physicians.

For public‑sector employees, a draft decree would impose stricter rules: a one‑month limit for an initial leave and two months for extensions, mandatory consultation with the prescribing doctor for renewals, a ban on paid work during the leave, and a review of therapeutic part‑time arrangements by the employer within thirty days. The measures build on a series of tightening steps taken since 2018.

Separately, the French health‑insurance code caps the total number of indemnity days an individual can receive at 360 days over any rolling three‑year period. Once this threshold is reached, payments stop without warning, affecting thousands of insured workers each year. Certain long‑term illnesses are exempt, but most claimants experience abrupt cuts to their benefits.