Health-care professionals are responsible for approximately 70% [1] of the fraud amount at France's national health-insurance system, Assurance maladie.
The findings highlight a systemic vulnerability in the national health system. Because fraud undermines the resources intended to protect the most vulnerable citizens, the report calls for a significant strengthening of anti-fraud measures [3].
A report published on Aug. 20, 2026 [5], by the Inspection générale des finances (IGF) and the Inspection générale des affaires sociales (IGAS) detailed the scale of the issue. The inspectors found that €628 million [2] in fraud was detected and stopped in 2026 [2]. This figure represents a nearly threefold increase [3] since 2021 [3].
While the detected amount is significant, the report suggests the actual loss is much higher. The real amount of fraud is estimated to be between €1.4 billion [4] and an unspecified higher figure [4]. The gap between detected fraud and estimated losses indicates that a substantial portion of illegal claims remains undiscovered by current oversight mechanisms.
The report specifically targets health-care professionals as the primary drivers of this financial drain. By accounting for 70% [1] of the prejudice, these professionals have the systemic access required to manipulate billing and reimbursement processes on a large scale.
Government inspectors have urged the state to prioritize the fight against this fraud to ensure the sustainability of the Assurance maladie. The report said that the current trajectory of fraud, which has nearly tripled in three years [3], requires an urgent shift in how the state monitors professional health-care providers.
“Health-care professionals are responsible for approximately 70% of the fraud amount.”
The disparity between the €628 million in detected fraud and the €1.4 billion estimate suggests that France's current detection tools are catching less than half of the total fraudulent activity. By identifying health-care professionals as the primary source of loss, the government is shifting its focus from individual claimant fraud to systemic professional malpractice, which may lead to stricter auditing and licensing requirements for medical providers.
