Skip to content
World Health Systems Facts

Austria: Health System Financing

Flag of Austria

Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Health System Outcomes
Health System Coverage
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Austria’s COVID-19 National Policy

Health System Financing
Medical Personnel
Health System Physical Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Care
Health Information and Communications Technologies
Medical Training
Pharmaceuticals

Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
Social Determinants & Health Equity
People With Disabilities
Aging
Health System History
Health System Challenges


“The health system is financed by a mix of general tax revenues and compulsory social health insurance (SHI) contributions. Income-related SHI contributions accounted for about 60% of publicly financed health expenditures, while the remaining 40% come from general taxation, including value-added tax (VAT), income tax and tobacco tax, which are collected at federal level. SHI has nearly universal coverage (99.9%). There is no competition between SHI funds as the insured are assigned by type or place of employment.”

Source: Bachner F, Bobek J, Habimana K, Ladurner J, Lepuschütz L, Ostermann H, Rainer L, Schmidt A E, Zuba M, Quentin W, Winkelmann J. Austria: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2018; 20(3): 1 – 256.


“SHI contributions are based on income and not on health risks. Contribution rates are determined by law and can only be changed by the Austrian Parliament. The contribution rate amounted to 7.65% of employment-based income or income (also called the contribution base) for the majority of the contributing population in 2017. The contribution rate is nearly equally shared between employers and employees: 50.6% (contribution rate of 3.87% of income) are paid by the employee and 49.4% (contribution rate of 3.78% of income) by the employer. Lower contribution rates apply to civil servants (7.635%) and pensioners (5.1%). SHI contributions for certain population groups (e.g. the unemployed) are financed from general tax revenues.

“SHI funds collect contributions independently. Employers pay SHI contributions, including both the employers’ and the employees’ share, to one of the 18 SHI funds. The federal state pays the employer contribution for pensioners (through pension insurance) and for the unemployed (HVB, 2016b).

“SHI contributions are capped. In 2018, contributions increased proportionally up to a base salary or wage threshold of €5,130 per month for employees (plus annual bonus payments of €10,260). This means that the maximum SHI contribution was €392.44 per month (Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz, 1955). For self-employed and farmers the maximum income threshold on which to pay contributions was set at €5,985, and the maximum SHI contribution was €457.86 per month (HVB, 2017g). However, it must be mentioned that the annual maximum amount of SHI contributions are equal for employees and self employed/farmers due to the 13th month or 14th month bonus payments for employees.”

Source: Bachner F, Bobek J, Habimana K, Ladurner J, Lepuschütz L, Ostermann H, Rainer L, Schmidt A E, Zuba M, Quentin W, Winkelmann J. Austria: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2018; 20(3): 1 – 256.


“In Austria SHI [Social Health Insurance] covered 8.82 million persons (including non-residents) or 99.9% of the population in 2016. About 76% of the insured population (6.66 million persons) paid wage-based contributions while about 24% were co-insured dependants such as children (until the age of 18, extendable under certain conditions until the age of 27), spouses and partners (HVB, 2017b). In 2010, coverage was extended to several non-standard employment relationships such as marginal part-time workers, quasi-freelancers, the newly self-employed, and temporary agency workers (see Table 2.2).

“Membership in an SHI fund is determined by law according to place of occupation, type of occupation or occupational status (unemployed, pensioners, etc.). Thus, there is no regulated competition between SHI funds.

“Insurance coverage is mandatory under various laws that apply to different groups in the population covered by different types of health insurance funds. The General Social Insurance Act (Allgemeines Sozialversicherungsgesetz, 1955, ASVG) regulates the nine regional health insurance funds that insure 76% of the population. There are five company health insurance funds (Betriebskrankenkassen) for the employees of five larger companies that are also regulated by the ASVG (see Table 3.4). In addition, there are specialist insurance laws (the Federal Act on Social Insurance for Persons engaged in Trade and Commerce (GSVG), Act on Social Insurance for Farmers (BSVG) and the Civil Servants’ Health and Accident Insurance Act (B-KUVG), Act on Social Insurance for the Self-Employed in Commerce, Trade and Industry (FSVG)) that regulate health insurance and respective health institutions for specific groups of the populations (self-employed, farmers and civil servants) (HVB, 2017f) (see Table 3.4).”

Source: Bachner F, Bobek J, Habimana K, Ladurner J, Lepuschütz L, Ostermann H, Rainer L, Schmidt A E, Zuba M, Quentin W, Winkelmann J. Austria: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2018; 20(3): 1 – 256.


“SHI funds finance the largest share of health expenditure (45 % in 2018). Direct government spending – mostly contributions by the states for inpatient care – also constitutes a large share (30 %). In 2020, a major reform merged the existing SHI funds into five funds: the nine regional SHI funds now form a single fund – Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK) – which covers about 82 % of the insured population, while self-employed workers, farmers, civil servants and railway workers remain insured by two specialist SHI funds. All SHI funds cover broadly the same benefits, and several steps have been taken since 2017 to harmonise benefits further, but differences remain among the insured population of the ÖGK and between funds for specific professions (see Section 5.2).”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), Austria: Country Health Profile 2021, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.


“Health expenditure from public sources accounted for 75 % of the total in 2019 – a share that has been stable over the past decade – but it remains below the EU average of 80 %. The share of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments has also been stable since 2010, and accounted for 18 % of total health spending in 2019, which is above the EU average (15 %). OOP spending is mostly on outpatient medical care, medicines, long-term care and dental care (see Section 5.2).

“In 2020, additional public spending was allocated to the health and long-term care sectors to cover COVID-19 related expenses, including EUR 60 million for SHI funds.”

Source: OECD/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (2021), Austria: Country Health Profile 2021, State of Health in the EU, OECD Publishing, Paris/European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels.


“In 2014, public spending accounted for 77.9% of total spending on health, while OOP [Out Of Pocket] payments and VHI [Voluntary Health Insurance] accounted for 16.1 and 4.6% respectively (WHO, 2016).”

Source: Thomas Czypionka and Clemens Sigl. “Austria.” In Voluntary health insurance in Europe: Country experience [Internet]. Sagan A, Thomson S, editors. Copenhagen (Denmark): European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2016. Observatory Studies Series, No. 42.


Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.


Page last updated Nov. 11, 2022 by Doug McVay, Editor.

  • Home
  • About Health Systems Facts
    • Contact Us
    • Join Our Email List
  • Breaking News & Opinion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Seventeen National Health Systems
    • Austria
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hungary
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Netherlands
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • Comparing National Health Systems
    • Healthcare Access and Quality Index
    • Sustainable Development Goals Health Index
    • Mirror Mirror 2021
    • World Health Report 2000
    • International Health Systems In Perspective
    • Lessons for US Health Reform
  • Aging
  • Health System Outcomes
  • Healthcare Spending
  • Healthcare Workers
    • Health System Personnel
    • Health Workforce Training
  • Information and Communications Technologies
  • Long-Term Services and Supports
  • People With Disabilities
  • Pharmaceutical Pricing and Regulation
  • Social Determinants Of Health
  • Wasteful Spending
  • Various US Health System Proposals
    • Affordable Care Act
    • All Payer
    • Public Option
    • Single Payer / “Medicare For All”
    • Universal Health Coverage
  • Recommended Resources
  • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

© 2019-2022 Real Reporting Foundation | Theme by WordPress Theme Detector

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
_GRECAPTCHA5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-71314304-21 minuteThis is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. It appears to be a variation of the _gat cookie which is used to limit the amount of data recorded by Google on high traffic volume websites.
_gcl_au3 monthsThis cookie is used by Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the website.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo