Overview
- KBV chief Andreas Gassen proposes requiring a medical certificate only from the fourth or fifth day of illness, citing potential savings of about €100 million and 1.4 million working hours if very short attestations are skipped.
- Employer groups including the BDA and Niedersachsenmetall reject the idea as a burden that could invite misuse, noting employers can currently demand a certificate earlier than the statutory three days.
- Politicians are divided, with the CDU warning against blanket extensions, the Greens welcoming possible practice relief, and SPD minister Clemens Hoch floating up to two weeks without an attestation.
- AOK data show record sick leave with 228 cases per 100 members in 2024 and a similarly high level expected in 2025, driven by respiratory infections and rising long absences for psychological disorders, while electronic reporting likely boosted recorded cases.
- Telephone attestations accounted for about 1.5% of respiratory-related sick notes in 2024, and separately Health Minister Nina Warken’s package would cap hospital payment growth and cut administrative and innovation-fund spending to stabilize contributions.