Sick child at home: telephone confirmation for parents - relief through new regulations

Sick child at home: telephone confirmation for parents - relief through new regulations

According to a report by www.mdr.de From December 18th, parents of sick children can receive medical certificates for receiving child sickness benefit by telephone and without visiting the practice. This regulation was implemented at the request of Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and the umbrella association of statutory health insurance companies. The certificates can be issued for a maximum of five days if the doctor knows the child and considers issuing them over the telephone to be justifiable.

The regulation was introduced to relieve the burden on parents and doctors' offices and to help prevent infections in doctor's office waiting rooms during the corona pandemic. From 2024, employees will have the right to stay at home for up to 15 days per year if their child is sick. This regulation replaces the previous regulation of up to 30 children's sick days during the pandemic, which expires at the end of this year. Before the pandemic, there were ten children's sick days per year per parent.

These new regulations may potentially impact the labor market and the financial industry. By expanding children's sick days and allowing parents to report sick by telephone, companies may be faced with an increased rate of employee absences due to caring for sick children. This could lead to lost productivity and additional costs to cover lost working hours.

In addition, the additional children's sick days could also have an impact on the financial stability of the health insurance companies, as they may record higher expenses for child sickness benefits. It is important that companies and health insurance companies take these changes into account and take appropriate measures to assess and prepare for any possible impact on their financial situation.