Overview
- The coalition agreed July 2 to abolish telephone-based Krankschreibungen and make an official Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung (AU) the default requirement from the first day of illness.
- Chancellery leaders including Friedrich Merz and Union figures say the change is meant to lower high recorded absence and ease burdens on firms, and the SPD calls it a negotiated compromise to avoid harsher proposals.
- Doctors’ groups and the Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung warned the plan could flood practices, with the KBV estimating up to about 30 million extra visits a year and risks of longer waits and higher infection in waiting rooms.
- Crucial implementation questions remain unresolved because no law has been passed yet, including whether patients must visit a doctor on day one, rules on retroactive certification, how video consultations will be used, and any exemptions in collective bargains.
- Analysis from research institutes and insurers notes that the 2022 electronic AU (eAU) raised recorded sick days by improving reporting, experts warn the telephone AU made up only around 0.8–1.2% of certificates, and patients and workplaces could face increased time and access pressures while the bill is drafted.