No agreement yet

Trench warfare between the health insurance fund and doctors

The Austrian Health Insurance Fund must and wants to make savings, the doctors' representatives feel they are being treated unfairly.

(Bild: Rojsek-Wiedergut Uta)

The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is complaining about rising costs and is expecting a loss of 900 million euros this year. Therefore, "efficiency improvements and targeted savings" are to be made. Alarm bells are ringing among the medical profession and representatives are taking to the barricades.

Our healthcare system is ailing - this can be seen in the constantly rising costs, but also in the waiting times for doctors' appointments. But when it comes to a promising "therapy" for this particular patient, the focus of health insurers and doctors' representatives is mainly on costs. Longer-term steps that would not only relate to this symptom, but would change the entire structure, are in short supply.