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HEALTH

Four Austrian districts classed as ‘high risk’ due to rising cases

Four districts of Austria have been classified as 'high risk' under the country's traffic light alert system for rising Covid-19 infections.

Four Austrian districts classed as 'high risk' due to rising cases
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN / AFP

In August, Austria announced it would implement a four-colour traffic light system to help minimise the risk of a second wave and another nationwide lockdown. 

On Friday, four districts were switched to ‘red' – the first time any part of Austria has been classified as such under the scheme. 

EXPLAINED: How does Austria's coronavirus traffic light system work? 

Hallein (Salzburg), Wels-Stadt (Upper Austria)  Innsbruck-Stadt and Innsbruck-Land (Tyrol) have become the first districts to be denoted as red under the country's coronavirus traffic light scheme.

Several other regions were switched to orange or yellow on Thursday. 

An updated map which shows the level of every single region in Austria can be found here

What is Austria’s coronavirus traffic light system? 

Put in place in the middle of September, the traffic lights are updated once every seven days. 

MAPS: Where are Austria's emerging coronavirus hotspots? 

The four colours indicate levels of risk and will be implemented at a district level. 

The levels are: green (low risk), yellow (medium risk), orange (high risk) and red (acute). 

A region will be ‘green’ where there is low risk due to individual cases and heavily isolated clusters. 

A region will be ‘yellow’ where there are individual cases but the clusters are less isolated. 

A region will be deemed ‘orange’ where there has been an accumulation of cases and clusters are no longer traceable. 

Finally, a region will be deemed ‘red’ – i.e. high risk – where the outbreaks are uncontrolled and the virus is widespread. 

Austria's traffic light system has won plaudits internationally, but has also been subject to criticism. Image: AFP

What does each colour mean?

This has been one of the most controversial aspects of the scheme, DPA reports. 

This is primarily because no set metrics have been developed – and each Austrian state or region has not committed to uniform metrics. 

In September, some of Austria’s western states put in place a curfew despite a low warning level, whereas the darker coloured Vienna refused to do so. 

The Ministry of Health and the Chancellery said on Monday that the measures should be “targeted and regional”, which can be confusing. 

However, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober said that four main areas would be impacted should a region be deemed red: schools, bars, private parties and nursing homes, OE24 reported on Wednesday

If a district turns red, then high school students would undertake ‘e-learning’ i.e. home schooling. 

Bars would be given an earlier curfew, although this would depend on the region and the seriousness of the situation. 

The 10pm curfew in place in Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg could be adopted, or a far stricter curfew of 5pm – which is currently in place in Kuchl – could be implemented. 

The curfew applies only to bars and not to restaurants.

The current ten-person limit for private parties would be reduced to five. 

 

Finally, nursing home visits would be completely banned. 

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HEALTH

When can I ask for reimbursement for medical expenses in Austria?

If you visit an 'elective doctor' in Austria or go for certain procedures and examinations, you might have to pay the costs upfront. But when will your statutory health insurance reimburse you?

When can I ask for reimbursement for medical expenses in Austria?

Austria’s health system can seem complicated. Most people are insured by statutory insurance companies, ensuring they receive quality care for free in the country. 

However, there may be times when you want to go the private route – be it for specific examinations, or if you are searching for a particular specialist or, most commonly, if you just can’t or won’t wait to get an appointment via the public system. As the number of public doctors drops, more and more people have reached out to the “elective” doctors, or to private laboratories for certain exams instead of waiting weeks in the public system.

In those cases, the public health insurance funds often reimburse your expenses, at least partially. 

READ ALSO: Six things to know about visiting a doctor in Austria

When can I ask for reimbursement?

There are several cases when you can be reimbursed by Austria’s largest health insurance company, the ÖGK. These include:

  • Private or elective doctors: Elective doctors do not have a contract with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). You will therefore be treated there as a private patient and must initially pay for the treatment yourself. In most cases, ÖGK will reimburse part of the costs.
  • Dental Health: In addition to conservative dental treatment and dentures, the ÖGK dental services also include jaw adjustments (braces).
  • CT, MRI and x-rays: Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-rays are “diagnostic imaging procedures”. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) covers the costs if the examination is carried out at an authorized institute.
  • Therapists: the ÖGK will cover costs for speech therapy, physio therapy and psychotherapy, among others. You can read more HERE.
  • Midwives: Midwives support women during pregnancy, during childbirth and in the initial period afterwards. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) covers certain costs for the midwife.
  • Hospital stays: Persons insured with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) can receive outpatient or inpatient treatment in certain hospitals throughout Austria. The fund will not cover any special fees that are incurred for accommodation in “special class” (some hospitals offer private rooms as special class, for example). For medically necessary treatment in hospitals with which there is no contractual relationship,  ÖGK currently pays a daily care cost allowance of € 399.97, but not more than the actual costs incurred.
  • Medical aids and medication: The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) covers the costs of medical aids and aids such as hearing aids, diabetes supplies or bandages if you have a doctor’s prescription for them. The ÖGK also covers medication costs, but you need a prescription from a doctor. 

READ ALSO: How much can you expect to pay for private healthcare in Vienna?

How much will I get?

The reimbursement does not cover the whole cost. Once the reimbursement is approved, you will get 80 percent of what the ÖGK would have paid to the public system. This is not the same as 80 percent of your invoice.

The insurance fund doesn’t always approve invoices, it will evaluate the need and set up limits (so, you won’t get a refund on every doctor’s visit if you go to the same specialist type in a short period, for example). Particularly if you plan on a big expense, it’s worth it to check with the fund beforehand if they would cover the private costs.

How can I claim reimbursement?  

You first need to obtain receipts for all medical expenses, including doctor’s invoices, hospital bills, and pharmacy receipts. You’ll also need to gather payment confirmation. Then, you submit this information as a claim request on the website of your insurance company. With ÖGK, the link is HERE.  

You then wait for the processing time, which can take up to several weeks. If your request is approved, you’ll receive the money back straight to the bank account you have in your account details on the insurance website. 

READ ALSO: Will my Austrian health insurance pay for medical expenses abroad?

What if I have private insurance?

Most private insurance in Austria work with statutory companies. You’ll follow the same exact path. Once you get confirmation of how much the public insurance will reimburse you (or if it won’t reimburse you), you can then send all these documents to your private insurance. They will pay the difference between what you got from the public company and what you paid in private healthcare.

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