Economy. 2026 Budget: The Noose Tightens on Health Spending

In his speech entitled "The Moment of Truth" on July 15, François Bayrou set the course: health will have to contribute 5.5 billion euros to the savings planned in the 2026 budget.

To achieve this, the Prime Minister put forward a guiding idea: "empowering the French." According to him, "the cost of healthcare must be more tangible for patients," the goal being to break with "a market where consumption is unrestrained and without limits."

In addition to the doubling of medical deductibles and flat-rate contributions, one of the key announcements concerns long-term conditions (ALD), i.e. illnesses "whose severity or chronic nature – sometimes both – requires prolonged treatment" and whose care and treatment are covered 100%.

The government wants to move towards "exiting the status" in certain cases, such as cancer remissions, and to stop fully reimbursing medications "unrelated" to the illness. "20% of French people are on long-term illness (ALD) compared to 5% of the German population. And I don't believe the French are in worse health than the Germans," the head of the government stated to justify a review of this status.

Another aspect highlighted: the "drift" in sick leave . The State intends to put an end to abuses linked to their prescription. The Minister of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families, Catherine Vautrin, also stated that "the checks carried out on sick leave of more than 18 months have shown that more than 50% of them are no longer justified."

The government also claims that it will continue the fight against fraud , amounting to 13 billion euros for the entire social sector. Another avenue for savings: hospitals will have to become more "efficient and promote the reuse of medical devices, with monitoring through artificial intelligence," Catherine Vautrin adds.

These upcoming changes in the healthcare sector are, of course, far from unanimous. "The consequences for staff and users will be dramatic, both in terms of the provision of care and the quality that must be provided to every citizen and in terms of working conditions," communicated the Federation of Public Services and Health Services Force Ouvrière, calling for "a fight against this government from the start of the school year." The pill will undoubtedly not be easy to swallow.