French Government Faces Backlash Over Health and Public Sector Reforms

Proposals to increase healthcare costs and reform public sector sick leave spark controversy amid efforts to curb public spending.

The Barnier government plans to raise the healthcare 'ticket modérateur,' increasing out-of-pocket costs for patients and potentially straining mutual insurance funds.
The proposed healthcare reform aims to save €1.1 billion but faces criticism for potentially reducing access to care for low-income individuals.
Public sector reforms include increasing the unpaid sick leave days for civil servants from one to three, aligning with the private sector, to save €1.2 billion.
Unions and critics argue that these measures will disproportionately affect lower-income public employees and may not effectively address absenteeism causes.
Debates in the French Parliament are expected to be contentious, with opposition from both left and right parties on various aspects of the proposed budget.