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HEALTH

Vienna mayor calls for ‘caution’ as Austria pushes ahead with lockdown end

Mayor of Vienna Michael Ludwig said on Saturday that the situation in the capital’s hospitals did not justify the government's recent decision to lift most restrictions against the spread of the coronavirus in the coming weeks.

Published: 17 April 2021 15:17 CEST
Vienna mayor calls for ‘caution’ as Austria pushes ahead with lockdown end
Vienna's mayor Michael Ludwig (L) arrives for a novel coronavirus antigen rapid test on December 7, 2020. credit ALEX HALADA / AFP

“I am cautious and I don’t want to raise anyone’s expectations,” Ludwig of the Social Democrats told broadcaster Ö1 – a day after Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that most restrictions would be lifted next month.

Ludwig said that there had been no significant improvement in the situation in Vienna’s intensive care wards in recent weeks, even if occupancy had dropped slightly. “It won’t be possible to open everything in one go,” he cautioned.

There are currently over 500 Covid-19 patients in Austria’s intensive care wards.

Kurz promised in a press conference on Friday that lockdown measures in the areas of culture, sport, gastronomy and tourism would be relaxed in May. 

“We are in the last metres in dealing with this pandemic. Freedom is within one’s grasp,” Kurz said optimistically after meeting with state leaders and health experts in Vienna on Friday. 

Kurz said the deliberations were “swift and harmonious”, despite divergent opinions on which path Austria should take out of lockdown. 

However, he declined to give specifics of the measures that would be relaxed in May, except to say that the easing would come into effect at the same time across the entire country.

READ MORE: ‘Freedom is near’ – Austria to relax most coronavirus measures in May

Meanwhile, the state of Burgenland is forging ahead with plans to end its lockdown next Monday, a decision that has come in for criticism in other parts of the country.

Ludwig said that Burgenland was moving ahead too quickly, stressing that, “I have chosen a different path because the health of the people is the most important thing to me.”

SPÖ leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner also said that the state on the Hungarian border risks causing a public health fiasco due to the high level of intensive care occupancy in its hospitals.

Roland Fürst, a leading figure in the Burgeland government, responded by saying that, “all of these accusations are completely absurd and testify to a narrow understanding of political responsibility. 

“Who actually takes responsibility for the massive psychological, physical, social and financial problems that are already escalating and their resultant damage?” he said.

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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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