Trouble over ÖGK rules

Wiener had to pay for eye examination in Lower Austria

Günter S. with the result of the optical coherence tomography. He had to pay for it privately because he went to a doctor in Lower Austria.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

The merger of the nine regional health insurance funds in 2020 was widely touted. The reform was supposed to bring uniform benefits for all insured persons. The fact that reality is lagging behind the promise is demonstrated by the ombudswoman and Krone+ with the case of a Viennese.

One of the reasons for founding the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) four years ago was to make structures leaner, but also to standardize the different services in the nine federal states. Harmonization has been taking place since then, but in many cases it has been a long time coming, as reader Günter S. experienced during a visit to the ophthalmologist.