Germany tightens health insurance benefits and ends telephone sick notes

Germany's health ministry, led by Health Minister Nina Warken, approved a package of cuts to statutory health‑insurance benefits. The measures reduce reimbursements, raise patients' co‑payments for medicines and limit free partner coverage in many cases.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that, starting January 2027, employees will no longer be able to obtain a medical certificate by phone. Workers must visit a doctor on the first day of illness to receive a sick note. The policy is part of a broader effort to curb rising absenteeism, which has climbed to an average of 19.5 sick‑days per employee per year.

Both initiatives aim to lower health‑care spending and improve labor‑market functioning as Germany confronts one of Europe’s most generous sick‑leave systems.