Health Insurance in Austria
Austria's health care is paid for mainly by compulsory public health insurance. Most employees, unemployed people and pensioners are insured with the Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK). Self-employed people are insured with their own fund, the SVS. You do not choose or sign up for a fund yourself: your employer registers you, and the contribution of 7.65% of gross pay (3.87% paid by you, 3.78% by your employer, 2026) is deducted automatically. Your key to treatment is the e-card. Show it at every doctor's visit. Its back is the European Health Insurance Card.
Who is covered and how
- Employees earning above €551.10 a month (2026) are insured automatically. Below that amount you are only insured against accidents at work.
- Family members (Mitversicherung): children are co-insured with a parent until the day before their 18th birthday, and longer in some cases. A spouse, registered partner or partner can often be co-insured, usually for a contribution. Family members must live in Austria and must not have their own compulsory insurance.
- Voluntary insurance (Selbstversicherung): if you have no other cover, you can insure yourself with the ÖGK for €565.25 a month (2026). Third-country nationals need a valid residence title. Benefits start after a 6-month waiting period, unless you were insured in Austria, an EU/EEA country or an agreement country just before.
Doctors and referrals
- Contract doctors (Vertragsärzte) bill the ÖGK directly, so you pay nothing for most treatment when you show your e-card.
- In each quarter you can see one GP and one specialist per field without a referral. CT and MRI scans and hospital outpatient clinics need a referral (Überweisung), except for first aid.
- Private doctors (Wahlärzte) have no contract. You pay the bill and claim back up to 80% of what the ÖGK would have paid a contract doctor. Because private fees are higher, you usually get back much less than 80% of the bill.
- Outside surgery hours, call the health advice line 1450.
Costs you pay yourself
- Prescription fee (Rezeptgebühr): €7.55 per pack (2026). Once your prescription fees reach 2% of your annual net income (at least €314.01), you are exempt for the rest of the year. People on low incomes can apply for a full exemption.
- e-card service fee: €25 for 2026, collected in November 2025. People exempt from the prescription fee do not pay it.
- Hospital: the ÖGK pays for the general ward of a public hospital. You pay a daily contribution for up to 28 days a year, and private-class extras yourself.
Common pitfalls for newcomers
- Outside emergencies and substitutes, you can see only one contract doctor per field each quarter. If you also see a private doctor of the same field in that quarter, the ÖGK refunds nothing.
- A marginal job (Geringfügigkeit) alone does not give you health cover. Check whether you need co-insurance or voluntary insurance.
- Apply for voluntary insurance within 6 weeks after other cover ends, so that it follows on directly.
- Vaccinations that are not part of a treatment, and medical certificates for sports or work, are usually not covered.
Official guidance: ÖGK: contract doctors, ÖGK: private doctors, ÖGK: prescription fee, ÖGK: co-insurance, ÖGK: voluntary insurance