Austria's Healthcare System: Free Or Not?

Austria's healthcare system is renowned for its high quality and universality, with publicly funded care available to all residents and even some non-residents. The system is made up of two tiers: public and private. While the vast majority of individuals are covered by the public system, they can also opt to purchase supplementary private health insurance.

Public healthcare is accessible to nearly all Austrian residents

Austria's public healthcare system is renowned across Europe for its excellence, affordability, and accessibility. In fact, the country's public healthcare covers nearly 100% of the Austrian population.

How to access public healthcare in Austria

Enrollment in the public healthcare system is generally automatic and linked to employment. Employers are responsible for enrolling staff on the public health insurance and deducting the health insurance tax from employees' salaries. However, it is also possible to purchase supplementary private health insurance if desired.

Who is eligible for public healthcare?

Public healthcare in Austria is accessible to nearly all residents, including co-insured persons such as spouses and dependents, pensioners, students, the disabled, and those receiving unemployment benefits. Even asylum seekers, refugees, and those without legal residence are guaranteed access to essential medical help.

The quality of public healthcare in Austria

Austria's public healthcare system is highly regarded, known for its high quality and universality. The country has a relatively high density of hospitals and physicians, with 4.7 physicians per 1000 people in 2011, which is slightly above the European average. The system emphasizes inpatient care, with Austria having the most acute care discharges per 100 inhabitants in Europe and an average hospital stay of 6.6 days.

The cost of public healthcare in Austria

The cost of public healthcare in Austria is based on income and is not related to individual medical history or risk factors. Employees pay 3.87% of their net income towards their healthcare, with the cost calculated by their income. Additionally, patients pay a small amount for certain medical services, such as prescription medications and hospitalization. However, almost all medical treatments are free of charge when they are purposeful and necessary, including doctor visits, mandatory vaccinations, hospital and emergency care, and dental check-ups.

Private healthcare is available for quicker access to better care

Austria has a two-tier healthcare system, with most individuals receiving publicly funded care. However, they also have the option to purchase supplementary private health insurance for quicker access to better care.

Private healthcare in Austria offers improved facilities and shorter waiting times, but at a premium cost. This option is typically chosen by those who cannot use public healthcare or are self-employed and choose to opt-out of the public system. It is also used by those who want to complement their public insurance. Generally, private healthcare means shorter waiting times, a wider choice of physicians, and the choice of public or private clinics and hospitals.

The quality of care does not vary significantly between public and private healthcare in Austria, but the comfort of care might. Private insurance plans, sometimes referred to as "comfort class" care, can include more flexible visiting hours, private rooms, and doctors. Some individuals choose to pay for their care privately.

The Austrian public healthcare system is renowned across Europe for being excellent, affordable, and accessible. However, there are longer waiting times associated with it. For example, the wait time for eye lens surgery is 102 days, 78 days for hip joint surgery, 97 days for knee joint surgery, 39 days for coronary surgery, and 28 days for cardiac surgery.

Waiting times can be shortened by visiting the same hospital doctor in a private hospital or clinic. Waits are also sometimes illegally shortened in return for additional payments.

Austria's healthcare system is decentralised and complex

The public healthcare system is funded by government spending and social health insurance, with employees paying 3.87% of their net income. While medical insurance is only mandatory for selected population groups in Austria, others can sign up for public or private insurance voluntarily.

The federal government – specifically, the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection – regulates most healthcare in Austria. It supervises the social health insurance funds (SHI funds) and healthcare providers and exercises overall responsibility. The states (Länder) manage hospitals and emergency care in their area. Outside hospitals, medical providers are predominantly private and negotiate collective contracts with SHI funds for the provision of outpatient care.

The organisation of the Austrian health system is complex. The federal government is responsible for the legislative framework, including the regulation of SHI. SHI funds have operational responsibility for ambulatory and rehabilitative care outside hospitals and outpatient medicines, and they negotiate contracts with providers. The states (Länder) regulate hospital care in their jurisdictions within the framework defined by federal legislation and are mainly responsible for the organisation and financing of inpatient and outpatient care in hospitals.

The health system is financed by a mix of general tax revenues and compulsory SHI contributions. Income-related SHI contributions account for about 60% of publicly financed health expenditures, while the remaining 40% comes from general taxation. Contributions are pooled by the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions (HVB) and are subsequently allocated to SHI funds for payment of healthcare providers.

Medical insurance is mandatory for Austrian residents with Austrian income

Healthcare in Austria

Austria has a two-tier healthcare system, with universal, publicly funded care and the option to purchase supplementary private health insurance.

Public Healthcare

Austria's public healthcare system is renowned across Europe for being excellent, affordable and accessible. It covers nearly 100% of the Austrian population and is funded by monthly contributions from employees, employers and pensioners. The amount an individual pays towards their healthcare is calculated by their income.

Private Healthcare

Private healthcare in Austria is often used by those who either cannot use public healthcare or are self-employed and choose to opt out. It is also used by those who want it to complement their public insurance. Generally, private healthcare means shorter waiting times, a wider choice of physicians, and the choice of public or private clinics and hospitals.

Mandatory Insurance

• Almost all those in paid employment
• Most self-employed persons
• Persons claiming unemployment benefits
• Dependants of all these groups

Accessing Public Healthcare

Access to the public healthcare system is linked to employment. Typically, insurance is arranged through an employer, and monthly payments are deducted from the employee's salary. Employers are responsible for enrolling staff on the public health insurance.

E-Card

All insured persons are issued an e-card, which must be presented when visiting a doctor. The e-card allows for the digitisation of health claims and gives doctors access to your electronic health record. It also allows your doctor to upload prescriptions electronically.

Asylum seekers, refugees, and those without legal residence are guaranteed essential medical help

Austria's healthcare system is designed to ensure that everyone is covered. Asylum seekers, refugees, and those without legal residence are guaranteed essential medical help.

Upon arrival at a reception centre, asylum seekers undergo an initial medical examination within 24 hours. This includes a physical examination of vital signs, skin lesions, injuries, and a Tuberculosis (TBC) X-ray. If further investigation is required, they are referred to specialist doctors or hospitals. After submitting an asylum application, a mandatory medical examination, including a tuberculosis test, must be conducted by a contracted general practitioner or nurse as part of the admission procedure.

Every asylum seeker who receives Basic Care is provided with health insurance. If treatment is not covered by this insurance, it may be paid for by the federal provinces' departments for Basic Care or the Ministry of Interior. Even if Basic Care is withdrawn, asylum seekers are still entitled to emergency care and essential treatment. In practice, this may be challenging to access, especially if the asylum seeker has lost Basic Care due to violent behaviour or absence from the reception centre. In such cases, they may turn to NGOs like AMBER MED for voluntary medical treatment.

In some federal provinces, like Vienna, asylum seekers receive an insurance card, providing uncomplicated access to healthcare. In other provinces, they may receive a replacement document or have their insurance number written on their ID card. Asylum seekers are required to submit medical findings and expert opinions to assess their mental health and special needs.

Austria's healthcare system is comprised of public and private tiers. The public system is linked to employment, with insurance typically arranged and paid for by employers. However, asylum seekers, refugees, and those without legal residence may not have access to this route of healthcare coverage. Nonetheless, they are still guaranteed essential medical treatment in Austria.

Frequently asked questions