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Health: do the French abuse sick leave?
Health: do the French abuse sick leave?
(franceinfo)
The recommendations of the Court of Auditors have relaunched a recurring debate: should we stop voluntary sick leave? This raises another question: are the French abusing work stoppages?
“A doubling of sick leave in five years is proof of abuse”, we can read in a message posted on , according to figures from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. However, it is complicated to know whether this increase is due to abuse.
Despite the absence of data, it is the short stops that are being targeted today. The Court of Auditors even recommends that they no longer be compensated by health insurance, in order to save money. Even if they are the most numerous, they are the ones that cost Social Security the least. In 2022, sick leave of less than eight days constituted more than half of the leaves issued, but they only represent 5% of the compensation paid. This is an almost stable percentage for ten years.
It is shutdowns of more than six months that weigh the most: 45% of annual expenses. According to specialists, completely restricting compensation for short sick leave is not the miracle solution for reducing health spending.
