Overview

• The government’s PLFSS projects the Social Security shortfall narrowing to €17.5 billion in 2026 from €23 billion in 2025.
• Savings are focused on health spending, with plans to reclassify some affections de longue durée as non‑exempt, which would reduce reimbursements for certain chronic conditions.
• The health insurance branch is forecast to post a €12.5 billion deficit in 2026, reflecting sustained cost pressures from an aging population and rising illness.
• The draft also tightens work‑and‑pension combining rules, proposing a 100% pension clawback before age 64 and a partial clawback above about €7,000 of annual earnings after 64 to 67, with initial savings of €0.2 billion projected in 2027.
• Senior figures including Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Finance Minister Roland Lescure are steering the budget process, with specifics expected to be refined during the PLFSS adoption.