Menstrual poverty affects many women in France, who have difficulty obtaining sanitary protection during their periods, because of their cost. “Nearly 4 million women in France are victims of menstrual poverty”, affirmed to Franceinfo in April 2023 Maud Leblon, director of Rules Elementary, an association fighting against menstrual poverty. She also insisted on the doubling of this figure since the association’s last census, in 2021, in particular due to inflation. Menstrual poverty has taken a growing place in the media and political news in recent years. In 2021, disposable hygienic protection became free and self-service for students on university campuses in France.
Reimbursement of reusable protections: who will be able to benefit from it?
In 2024, reusable hygienic protection, such as menstrual cups or panties, will now be reimbursed by Social Security, for young people under 26, as announced on March 6, 2023 by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. This concerns around 6.7 million people, according to the Service Public.fr website. A list of reusable protective products will be specified soon: the products must comply with quality standards aimed at ensuring their health and environmental non-toxicity.
This initiative aims to make reusable protection more accessible and thus reduce menstrual poverty affecting millions of women in France. But the scope of this action is also ecological, by promoting the use of reusable hygienic protection, less polluting than sanitary napkins or disposable tampons.
How to get reimbursed for your reusable hygienic protection in 2024?
To benefit from these reusable periodic protections, no prescription needed. You will need to go to a pharmacy to purchase one of the protections concerned, then provide proof of purchase to Social Security to obtain reimbursement. Coverage will be 100% for beneficiaries of complementary health insurance. Reusable hygienic protection for other people under the age of 26 will be reimbursed at 60% by Social Security, and the remaining 40% will be covered by complementary health insurance.
As a reminder, this measure concerns young women under 26 years old. A restriction pointed out by Maud Leblon in the columns of Progress : “There are three million women who are over 25 and are not affected by the system: the most precarious women, migrant women, women on the street, women heads of single-parent families… there are no there are no solutions for them today”.
Sources:
- Reusable hygienic protections reimbursed for those under 26 – Service-Public.fr – December 28, 2023
- “Nearly 4 million women victims of menstrual poverty” in France, a figure which has doubled under the weight of inflation – Franceinfo – April 17, 2023
- Reimbursed periodic protection: “an important step forward that must be generalized” – Le Progrès – March 7, 2023