Navigating health insurance in Austria for foreigners

Health insurance is mandatory in Austria. Learn about the coverage, cost and how to set up your health insurance in Austria.

Ivandzhelin

4 minute read

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14 Mar 2024

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Living

Health insurance is mandatory in Austria for anyone intending to live there for more than 6 months. Luckily, Austria offers an affordable, accessible, and top-notch healthcare system, ranking 10th globally. If you’re new to Austria, this article will help you understand the difference between public and private health insurance in Austria, how to apply for it, and how much it will cost.

Anyone residing for more than 6 months in Austria is considered a resident and must have health insurance coverage. This includes students, freelancers, retirees, children or the unemployed. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals can use their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). However, acquiring Austrian health insurance is necessary if you intend to relocate to Austria permanently.

Health insurance in Austria is divided into 2 tiers: public and private health insurance. However, 99.9% of Austrian residents depend on public health insurance coverage, which provides basic coverage for all residents.

Public health insurance in Austria provides basic coverage for medical care. This includes:

• Consultations
• Hospitalisation
• Medicine
• Medical and dental treatments,
• Surgeries and rehabilitation services,
• Preventive care (e.g. vaccines)
• Maternity/childbirth-related services.

If you’re an employee, you're automatically entitled to public health insurance as your employer must enrol you in a social security scheme, which includes health and accident insurance and pension. As an added bonus, public health insurance in Austria also insures your family members without any additional contributions or at a reduced rate.

The most common and largest provider of healthcare coverage is the Austrian Insurance Fund (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse or ÖGK). But if you’re working in public service, the national railways, or you’re a miner, your health insurance is provided by the Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter, Eisenbahnen und Bergbau (BVAEB).

Self-employed, freelance workers or farmers can voluntarily register for public health insurance in Austria with Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Selbständigen (SVS). In this case, only their spouse or children are co-insured.

International students who are not from the EU can apply for student self-insurance (Studentenselbstversicherung) with the ÖGK, for which you have to be approved by the fund. Approval is typically granted for students studying in Austria for more than a year.

If you're from the EU/EEA/Switzerland, there is no need to sign up for health insurance in Austria, as you can use your EHIC.

Students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, or Turkey automatically qualify for student health insurance due to health insurance agreements with Austria.

Cost of public health insurance in Austria

As an employed person, your company is responsible for deducting the cost of public health insurance from your every month. The cost of your health insurance is calculated based on your income and is split equally between you and your employer.

As the monthly contribution for public health insurance is 7.65%, you and your employer each contribute 3.87% of your gross monthly income.

For example, if your Austrian salary is €2,500, your monthly contributions are €191.25, of which you personally pay €96,63.

You must enrol for and pay for health insurance yourself if you're self-employed. This is currently set at €495.58 per month. But depending on your financial situation, you can get reductions.

Students who opt for public health insurance can expect to pay 7.55% of the base self-insurance contribution.

Besides the actual insurance, you’ll also need to pay for medication. Visiting a contracted doctor, dentist, or specialist will cost you a fixed sum of €6.85 per pack of medicine. You can check the insurer’s website to see if the general practitioner, dentist, or specialist is contracted. Low-income earners, asylum seekers, certain civil servants or unemployed people can get reimbursement or medication for free.

How to apply for public health insurance in Austria

These are the general steps you need to follow to apply for Austrian public health insurance:

1. If applicable, pick the appropriate health insurance provider
2. Gather the required documents
3. Valid ID/passport
4. Proof of residency: Austrian residence permit, visa, registration certificate (Meldezettel), bank statement, EHIC.
5. Proof of employment/income
6. Filled-in application form
7. Submit the application, either in-person or online
8. Wait for confirmation: your application has to be approved by the insurer, who checks if you’re eligible for the insurance
9. Once you’re insured, you’ll receive an E-card from the insurer, which functions as your health insurance card. The card has a €12.95 yearly charge.

International students or freelancers can opt for private health insurance instead of or in addition to public insurance.

Private health insurance in Austria offers broader coverage and additional benefits compared to public health insurance, such as travel insurance or dental coverage. It provides flexibility in choosing healthcare providers and facilities. It’s also perfect for foreigners who want to expand their insurance plans or have a chronic condition that requires extra medical care.

Although your monthly living expenses will be higher with a private insurer, private health insurance policies may provide broader coverage and reimbursement for prescription medications.

Cost of private health insurance in Austria

The cost of private health insurance in Austria can be as low as €100 to as high as €450 monthly. How much you’ll contribute towards private health insurance depends on personal factors like age, health conditions, medical history and desired coverage. It's best to ask for a quote from the insurer before you choose your plan.

Applying for private health insurance

You can follow these steps to apply for private health insurance in Austria: 1. Research providers and contract them to get a quote on what your private health insurance plan can look like 2. Provide personal information: name, address, date of birth, medical conditions and employment details. 3. Choose a plan that fits your medical needs, but also consider the cost, deductibles, co-payments, and other benefits that could be important to you. 4. Complete the application form. 5. Submit the required documents.

• Valid ID/passport
• Proof of Austrian residency
• Income verification (in some cases)
• Previous insurance information
• Bank statements

6. Wait for approval: your insurer has to check whether you’re eligible for your chosen plan.
7. You’re insured!

See, setting up your health insurance in Austria is easy. You’re ready to make informed decisions about providers and health coverage. And you can check off another thing on your Austrian relocation checklist. Congratulations!

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