Overview
- The new rules took effect on 1 September 2026 and set a 31‑day limit for initial sick‑leave prescriptions and a 62‑day limit for extensions, with physicians allowed to exceed those ceilings when a patient’s condition and Haute Autorité de Santé guidance justify it.
- Health professionals must now record the medical motive for each sick leave for use by Assurance maladie while that information remains protected by medical secrecy and will not be passed to employers.
- The Ministry of Labour cites roughly €17.9 billion in daily‑allowance spending in 2025 as the reason for the reform and is targeting about €40 million in savings from the measure.
- Critics warn the rule will push patients back into doctors’ offices for renewals, raising consultation volumes and administrative work for GPs and possibly adding an estimated €30 million in costs that would shrink the net savings.
- Experts and commentators say the reform may reallocate workload rather than solve underlying causes, point to European auto‑declaration models as alternatives, and note the government is considering further measures for the 2027 budget.