On the third anniversary of a landmark government announcement, a leading advocacy group has issued a stark reminder: a promise to reimburse reusable menstrual products for vulnerable populations remains unfulfilled.
A Letter to the Prime Minister
The association Règles Élémentaires published an open letter on March 4, 2026, addressed to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the ministers of Health and Gender Equality. The letter marks three years since the state pledged to cover the cost of reusable period products for people under 26 and those in financial precarity. The clear conclusion is that “nothing has changed for the people concerned.”
Despite the measure being voted into law as part of the 2024 social security financing act, its application has stalled. The crucial implementing decree required to activate the reimbursement scheme has never been published.
The Scale of Menstrual Precarity
Règles Élémentaires, which is supported by the Ministry of Health, estimates that four million people in France face menstrual precarity. This means they are forced to choose between purchasing essential hygiene products and meeting other basic needs.
The association argues that this systemic issue cannot be solved by occasional solidarity drives. The legal provision for social security to reimburse reusable products bought in pharmacies was intended to provide a permanent, structural solution.
A Trail of Unkept Promises
The press release notes that although the preparatory work for implementation—including technical specifications and the decree itself—was finalized, the measure is still not applied. “Despite reiterated commitments by several successive governments, the measure remains unimplemented,” the letter states.
This inaction persists despite public assurances. In May 2025, Minister for Gender Equality Aurore Bergé promised the commitments would be met “before the end of the year.”
The political delay is underscored by the high turnover in relevant government positions. As reported by franceinfo, five different health ministers have served since the law was voted. One of them, Frédéric Valletoux, now an MP and head of the social affairs committee, recently lamented at the National Assembly that “the law is only as good as its application.” He noted that among measures voted in the 2024 social security financing law, 20 decrees were still pending.
The continued absence of the decree leaves millions in a state of financial and health-related uncertainty, turning a legislative victory into a promise yet to be realized.
