German health insurers warn of rising costs from long‑term sick leaves

Data from the German Association of Company Health Insurance Funds (BKK) show a steady increase in long‑term sick‑leave cases, driving up statutory health‑insurance sickness‑benefit payments. In 2025, sickness benefits reached €21.6 billion, accounting for more than a quarter of all absent work days, and the number of benefit days has risen 24.4 % over the past ten years.

Psychiatric disorders and musculoskeletal conditions are the main cost drivers. Although mental‑health diagnoses represent only 5.4 % of all sick‑certificates, their average duration exceeds five weeks, causing higher expenditures. The BKK and its board chair Anne‑Kathrin Klemm call for a serious debate on preventive strategies for mental‑health illnesses, extending beyond the workplace.

The governing coalition plans to tighten sick‑leave regulations by moving the requirement for a medical certificate to the first day of illness and abolishing telephone certifications, aiming to curb the rising sick‑leave rates.