Austria Health Insurance

The Republic of Austria is a landlocked former communist country located in Central Europe. It shares its borders with Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Austria is home to approximately 8.4 million people who speak German (which is the official language), Austro-Bavarian, Burgenland Croatian, Slovene and Hungarian. Its capital city is Vienna which is home to approximately one quarter of the country’s population. The country is divided into nine federal states.

Austria’s terrain is very mountainous thanks to the Central Eastern Alps, the Northern Limestone Apls and the Southern Limestone Alps, with approximately 68 percent of the country being located 500 metres above sea level. As a result, Austria has a temperate and alpine climate. Winters can be cold with the temperature ranging from -10 to 0 degrees Celsius with frequent rain. In contrast, the summer is warm with temperatures ranging from the mid 20’s to the late 30’s Celsius with occasional rain showers.

Austria is one of the world’s richest countries. It was ranked 12th richest in the world in terms of GDP per capita and in 2010 was ranked 25th in the world for its Human Development Index. The country’s residents have a high standard of living. The country has a well developed social market economy with international tourism being of high importance. Austria is a member of the European Union (EU) which has expanded its number of trading partners beyond solely Germany and increased foreign investment into the country. Austria exports machinery, equipment, vehicles, paper, metal goods, chemicals, steel, iron, textiles and food. Since 2002, the currency in Austria has been the Euro.

Austria has compulsory military service for fit males who reach the age of 17 years. They must serve for six months and be on reserve for eight years. Both females and males can voluntarily serve from 16 years of age. Approximately 74 percent of the population are Roman Catholic. Austrian Christians are obliged to pay a mandatory membership fee of approximately 1 percent of their income to the church, known was “Kirchenbeitrag”. Austria is the birthplace of many famous musical composers including Haydn, Schubert and Strauss. The capital city Vienna was the home of Mozart and Beethoven for a large part of their lives. It is also famous for the Sound of Music.

The country has forbidden nuclear power to generate electricity. Instead, approximately 64 percent of the country’s electricity is generated from renewable sources, the majority of which comes from hydropower. Austrian cuisine is known for Wiener schnitzel, apple strudel and fruit schnapps.

Austria Health Care and Insurance

The medical facilities in Austria are excellent with an adequate number of hospitals available. Hospitals are modern, clean and well equipped. Austria has a compulsory Austrian health insurance scheme which covers 99 percent of the population. The scheme is funded by the sickness funds called “Krankenkassen”, contributions (of approximately 7.65 percent) are calculated based on a person’s income. The employee contribution is deducted by the employer and paid to the tax office along with the employer’s contribution. When an Austrian takes up employment they are automatically covered by insurance. The scheme also covers an employee’s family members, students and the elderly. Insured people are issued with an e card which they need to show to receive medical treatment.

Austria has some private medical facilities but these mainly cater to non life threatening conditions. The majority of the Doctors surgeries in the country are private but accept patients from the Krankenkassen scheme. Some Austrians choose to purchase additional medical insurance which allows them to visit Doctors who don’t accept Krankenkassen patients as well as special less crowded hospitals.

In 2009 Austria spent 11 percent of its GDP on health care. There were 7.71 hospital beds per 1,000 people and 4.749 Doctors per 1,000 people. In 2008 approximately 11 percent of the country’s adult population were obese.

Americans visiting Austria should be aware that direct billing is not available for tourists who have insurance with American insurance companies. Such tourists will need to pay for the cost of the medical treatment themselves and seek reimbursement from their insurance company. Alternatively, American tourists can purchase international travel health insurance plans which will allow for direct billing options in the event that they require medical services while in Austria.

Travellers with a European Union Insurance Card (EUIC) will be covered for the cost of emergency health care while visiting Austria. EUIC travellers can visit hospitals and Doctors by showing their insurance card. Only Doctors displaying signs saying “Alle Kassen” will accept patients with the EUIC. EU residents will not be covered for non emergencies or emergency repatriation back to their home country. Free emergency health care is not available to travellers from outside the EU. Such travellers should purchase travel insurance as the cost of medical care in Austria can be expensive.

Austria has a large number of helicopter ambulances to assist people in the case of a medical emergency on the mountains. If you have a medical emergency on a mountain, a helicopter will be called for you whether you request it or not. The cost of emergency helicopter is not covered by the EUIC and can cost approximately €1,000. All visitors to Austria are advised to purchase travel insurance that covers skiing/snowboarding accidents and medical evacuation by helicopter.

Austria Travel Insurance Concerns

Many people travel to Austria each year to ski or snowboard. Boarders should be careful on the mountains and stay within the designated areas as many deaths occur each year from avalanches. As a safety precaution, boarders should have an avalanche beeper on them so that they can be located and rescued if need be. Altitude sickness is also common and snakes are prevalent in the mountains. Travellers should take appropriate precautions.

Austria has a low crime rate, however pick pocketing and theft of tourist’s personal belongings does occur. Travellers should keep their belongings secure especially in popular tourist areas, in the two train stations and on public transport. Bicycles should be secured so that they are not stolen by thieves. Racism can be a problem in Austria and locals may glare at non European tourists. However, most Austrians are friendly and helpful to tourists.

Tipping is customary in Austria. Cafes, restaurants and taxis will expect a tip of 10 percent. Value added tax is 20 percent for most goods and can be claimed back on single purchases over €75 for non EU residents. A specific form will need to be given by the shop and stamped when leaving the country in order to obtain the refund. The use of public toilets in Austria generally costs between €0.20 and €1.

No vaccinations are required to enter Austria. However, the World Health Organisation recommends that all travellers be vaccinated against diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus, measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), polio and hepatitis B, regardless of where they are travelling to. Tick borne encephalitis is prevalent in Austria during the summer months, 100 cases were reported during the first nine months of 2011. A vaccination against the disease is recommended for travellers intending on spending a large amount of time outdoors.

Travellers are prohibited from importing prescription medication into Austria except in two cases 1) tourists who live outside of the European Union may bring into Austria a small quantity of drugs and medicines that they require during their stay or 2) tourists may receive up to three packages of drugs and medicines by mail to be used during their stay in Austria. Travellers requiring medication should carry either a prescription or statement from their Doctor stating that the medication they possess is required to be taken while they are travelling.

Drivers in Austria will need an international driver’s license or their home country driver’s license translated. Drivers should be careful driving in winter when chains maybe required. Winter tyres are required by law to be used from 1 November to 15 April. Drivers must display and “Autobahn Vignette” tax sticker on the inside of their windscreen when driving on the Autobahn. The stickers which can be purchased from border crossings, gas stations and small shops. Many drivers exceed the speed limit of 130 kilometres per hour on the Autobahn and pass aggressively. Tourists should be careful as many accidents resulting in death occur.

The emergency telephone number in Austria is 133. Emergency roadside assistance can be reached by telephoning 123, 120 is used for vehicle assistance and towing services, 122 for the fire department, 133 for the police and 144 to request an ambulance.

Austria Expat Health Insurance

If you choose to travel to Austria and will be skiing or snowboarding we recommend that you purchase international medical insurance which covers snow sports and medical evacuation by helicopter. Those travellers who are not from the EU will not be covered for medical treatment in Austria and must purchase travel insurance. At Expat Medical Insurance we can assist you with selecting a medical insurance package that meets you needs and includes such benefits as specialist visits, Doctors visits, hospitalisation, maternity care and medical evacuation. Please contact us today for a no obligation free quotation from one of our expat medical insurance specialists.