Bavaria to Approve Healthcare Reform, Premier Söder Says

Bavaria will approve the federal government's healthcare reform, announced Bavarian Premier Markus Söder. He described the decision as one made "with a heavy heart" but stated that intensive negotiations had secured substantial improvements, particularly for hospitals. "The package is now, on balance, approvable with pain," Söder told ZDF.

The Beitragsstabilisierungsgesetz, aimed at stabilizing contribution rates for statutory health insurance, is scheduled for votes in both the Bundestag and the Bundesrat today. However, it remains uncertain if the bill will even reach the agenda for final deliberation in the upper house of parliament, as the Bundestag would need to pass a motion to shorten the deadline, and the states' agreement is not guaranteed.

Söder also defended the coalition's plan to abolish telephone sick notes, reinstating the requirement for a doctor's note on the first day of illness. He characterized the telephone system as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic to ease the burden on doctors' offices, noting that instances of abuse, particularly around public holidays, had occurred. Addressing concerns from general practitioners about potential overload, Söder expressed confidence that the system would function effectively, as it had prior to the pandemic.