In Austria, the health care system is largely financed by social security contributions and taxes, to a lesser part also by private sources, such as prescription charges, compulsory personal contributions, per-diem charges for hospital stays or contributions to private health insurance.
The public health care is covered by the social health and accident insurance. Their services include, for example, outpatient and inpatient care, medical rehabilitation, medications, grants for medical aids, health checks and preventive examinations or maternity benefits for birth. Physicians and outpatient departments of hospitals are responsible for outpatient care, in-patient care is carried out in the hospitals.
Compulsory insurance applies to all gainfully employed individuals. A large percentage of the self-employed are also covered by compulsory insurance. Children, spouses, registered partners and domestic partners in families with children can be co-insured at no extra charge. Self-insurance is also possible under certain conditions.
Those insured and their family members receive uncomplicated access to public health care services. You can make use of medical care from registered doctors with insurance contracts and from public hospitals. Certain services such as prescription charges, private doctors and private hospitals, some dental services or the daily benefit for hospitalisation have to be paid for privately. If a person does not have health insurance, they then bear the full costs of health benefits claimed themselves.
For illnesses which are no fault of the employee, the employer is obliged to pay remuneration for a certain duration, which depends on the employment relationship and the type of employment. Thereafter, the sick employee receives sick pay from the health insurance company which, however, amounts to less than their salary.