Overview
- At a campaign event in Bad Rappenau, the chancellor said employees average 14.5 sick days and asked whether that level is necessary.
- He called for a debate on incentives to work and singled out the 2021 phone-based sick note for possible rollback, with the CDU seeking abolition and talks with the SPD signaled.
- AOK countered that doctors bill telephone certifications only in a small share of cases and that the option does not drive more absences.
- The insurer and official analyses say electronic sick-note reporting leads to more complete recording, which can raise measured sick leave without a real increase in illness.
- The comments land during a winter respiratory wave, and no policy changes have been enacted.