Overview
- Deputies voted in first reading to set a legal ceiling of 30 days for an initial sick note and 2 months for renewals, with doctor‑justified exceptions recorded on prescriptions.
- A socialist amendment put the limits into law and replaced the government’s planned decree of 15 days for city doctors and 30 days in hospitals.
- The health minister cited sick‑leave indemnities of about €11 billion growing roughly 6% annually over five years, and an annexed report anticipates more medical consultations.
- Lawmakers also removed a proposed cut to indemnity ceilings for some long‑term conditions and kept the post‑maternity return‑to‑work exam mandatory.
- Medical unions and left‑wing deputies criticized the cap as distrustful of practitioners and risky for patients in areas with scarce access to doctors, with MG France’s leader calling it “ridiculous.”