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UPDATED: Train connections between Austria and Italy suspended due to coronavirus requirements

As of Friday, train services between Austria and Italy will be significantly disrupted - and in some cases even cancelled.

Published: 11 December 2020 17:15 CET
UPDATED: Train connections between Austria and Italy suspended due to coronavirus requirements
Photo: ALEX HALADA / AFP

Significant restrictions have been placed on train services between Austria and Italy from Friday. 

On the 11th and 12th of December there will be no long distance rail between the two countries, ORF reports. 

According to Austria's federal railway authority (ÖBB) “all EC and RJ connections to and from Italy must therefore be canceled for two days without replacement and cannot be used in replacement rail services.”

“We ask our passengers to switch to regional transport connections or other means of transport on these two days.”

EXPLAINED: How Austria is making train travel safer this Christmas

The reason for the suspension is the new official coronavirus requirements of Italy. 

Additional controls on Italy-bound trains

From Sunday, December 13th, fever and temperature controls are set to be put into place, along with a requirement of a negative coronavirus test upon arrival in Italy. 

The test should come in the 48 hours before you travel. 

More information can be found here. 

Disruptions continue from Sunday, December 13th

As a result, the ÖBB will offer a reduced number of services to and from Italy. 

According to official information distributed by the ÖBB, the following services will still be running from Sunday. 

The EC 80 via the Brenner Pass, from Verona at 11:01 a.m., via Innsbruck from 2:40 p.m. to Munich at 4:26 p.m. and in the opposite direction to the EC 89, Munich from 1:33 p.m., to Bologna at 8 p.m. 

The EC 80 only runs between Munich and Verona. All other EC trains on this route will be shortened to Innsbruck. The RJX 184-185 to Bozen is still on its way to plan. Local transport in Tyrol is also on schedule.

On the route Vienna Hbf-Villach-Venice RJ 131, Vienna from 06:25, Venice at 14.14 and in the opposite direction RJ 130, Venice from 15:52, Vienna at 23:35.

The RJ 132 and 133 trains are no longer available between Villach and Venice. The MICOTRA regional trains from Villach to Udine and Trieste are running as scheduled.

We ask all of our travellers when traveling to Italy to comply with the legal requirements of Italy and to carry a negative Corona test with them.

More information about available services can be accessed here. 

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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?

Published: 14 June 2024 12:15 CEST
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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