The law surrounding work stoppages will tighten. A decree expected in the fall will soon establish new sanctions against medical nomadism.
Save money at all costs. In its quest to reduce the public deficit, the government has detailed its new battle plan concerning sick leave. He points to the record sums spent in 2025, particularly with regard to daily allowances. Faced with an increase in the average duration of work stoppages, the executive has targeted several categories of employees.
One of the main ones is that which practices medical nomadism. This practice consists of consulting different doctors to obtain work leave more easily. “Thus, in 2024, more than 13,000 policyholders were prescribed sick leave by 5 different private general practitioners during the year, for an average of 12.4 days of sick leave per prescription,” notes the Ministry of Labor.
If the State affirms that consulting several doctors can have a medical justification, it emphasizes that this practice also serves to hide obvious abuses. To counter this fraud, the government has outlined a vast action plan which will be put in place throughout 2026. “Particular attention will be paid to repetitive short stops and medical nomadism. In total, nearly 740,000 control actions will be carried out in 2026, an increase of almost 6% compared to 2025.”
By controlling more, the objective is to more easily identify employees who take multiple sick leaves with different doctors. The State thus hopes to detect more fraud in order to punish more harshly. For the moment, the sanctions have not been revealed but a decree will be adopted by the fall of 2026 to define all the sanctions against employees who abuse sick leave by consulting several doctors.
If you consult different doctors for medical reasons, you do not have to worry about being punished. Only the intention to defraud will be repressed. In addition, Health Insurance will send letters before any inspection or sanction to support employees. “At the same time, and in the spirit of personalized support, an information letter will be sent to policyholders who have had several stops over a semester.”
Finally, if an employee who stops by too many doctors risks an inspection, the opposite is also valid. Doctors who have a volume of work leave described as “atypical” will have to report to Health Insurance. “In 2026, Health Insurance will intensify its support for prescribers of atypical work stoppages through a multi-level system. Nearly 13,000 practitioners will be supported by medical advisors, medical-administrative pairs or Health Insurance delegates based on their practices and the atypicalities observed.” The objective is clear: reduce sick leave.
