Andreas Gassen, the head of the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), strongly rejects the partial illness certificate proposal put forward by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken. Calling the plan an “absurd approach” Gassen told the “Rheinische Post” that the legislation severely contradicts the stated goal of reducing red tape.
He pointed out that implementing a partial sick leave certificate would necessitate doctors creating an “expert report” requiring detailed examinations of the patient’s working conditions. Gassen questioned how physicians could realistically perform such assessments, adding, “Will they succeed by chance? All of this, while simultaneous funding cuts are being implemented across the board, does sound less like a policy and more like a poor joke”.
Instead of supporting the minister’s plan, Gassen reaffirmed the KBV’s alternative proposal: extending mandatory waiting periods (Karenztage). He reminded the public that the group’s suggestion was to increase the waiting days and mandate that incapacity certificates are only required starting from the fourth working day. According to Gassen, this change alone could generate annual savings of approximately 300 million euros, representing a genuine contribution to bureaucratic simplification.
Warken’s legislative draft (§44c) currently stipulates that doctors would be able to confirm a “partial working incapacity” amounting to 25%, 50%, or 75% of the insured person’s regular weekly working hours. This specific regulatory model is, however, already in practice in Sweden.