Deficient health insurance funds

“Urgent need for action” in the healthcare system

(Bild: stock.adobe.com – polack)

According to the Medical Association, the weaknesses of the healthcare system have been "identified" in the government program of the Zuckerl coalition. This is received with approval, because according to President Johannes Steinhart, there is an "urgent need for action".

According to Steinhart, a financial injection of two to three billion euros is necessary. Naghme Kamaleyan-Schmied, Deputy Chairman of the Federal Curia of General Practitioners, goes even further. For Vienna alone, she estimates that one billion euros will be needed, while Austria as a whole needs five billion euros, she emphasized. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is "severely in deficit" with a budget gap of over 900 million euros for 2025.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

"Uncertainty among patients and statutory health insurance physicians"
Uncertainty is therefore spreading not only among patients, but also among panel doctors. "And no one in politics feels compelled to change anything. Nobody is interested in health," complains Kamaleyan-Schmied. 

In addition, the catalogs of services and fees need to be revised as soon as possible. In some cases, the provision of services simply fails because treatments are not included in the old service catalogs, explained Kamaleyan-Schmied. As an example, she cited a patient with suspected thrombosis. Because the rapid test for this, which takes ten minutes and can be carried out in the practice, is not included in the service catalog, she had to send the patient to hospital, which consumed a lot more resources. 

President of the Medical Association Johannes Steinhart

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

Another demand is for binding patient guidance, as the chairman of the Federal Curia of Employed Doctors, Harald Mayer, emphasizes: "We need to get a grip on the uncontrolled growth of patient tourism." Mayer also urges the new government to break up federalism. It is often enough to offer specialized and cost-intensive cutting-edge medicine at one or two locations in Austria. 

Filling ELGA "with life"
Another concern of the medical profession is that the electronic health record ELGA "is filled with life". It should not be the case that the attending physician cannot access the medical history collected via the health hotline 1450, Mayer continues. 

Steinhart emphasizes the "willingness to talk and cooperate" of the Medical Association: "We are at the government's side with our experience and expertise." Sufficient resources for the statutory health insurance system and public hospitals are of central importance: "It is important that we secure the solidary financing of the healthcare system," said the President of the Medical Association.