"It's all about the work!"

Now a wellness ban at the ÖGK luxury seminar

The next luxury seminar would be canceled - or far less luxurious.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Andreas Tröster, Kronen Zeitung)

Austria's health insurance fund is apparently not only cutting back on services for patients, but also on itself thanks to "Krone" reports. As ÖGK boss Bernhard Wurzer explains, the next "luxury seminar" will either be cut out completely - or at least the wellness factor will be reduced.

Craft workshops, bobby cars and balloons - as the "Krone" and "Profil" revealed, all of this was on the agenda for 250 ÖGK bosses at the "luxury seminar" at Gut Brandlhof, Austria's Golf Hotel of the Year 2024 after all. Where superstar Cristiano Ronaldo checked in with his Saudi club Al Nassr in the summer, the heads of the health insurance companies could also gather in the lobby again in May 2026. As reported, bookings had already been made for 2026 before the media revelations. However, fierce discussions have also flared up internally due to the fund's precarious financial situation, with a deficit of 797.7 million euros calculated for 2029. 

260,000 euros in taxpayers' money
Discussions that ÖGK Director General Bernhard Wurzer takes very seriously. After all, the seminar cost the taxpayer 260,000 euros, as a parliamentary question from the FPÖ later brought to light. And SPÖ Health Minister Korinna Schumann also declared that she "wanted to discuss" the choice of venue. At the end of the year, it is now up to Wurzer to decide whether the seminar should take place again for the sixth time en suite.

The next luxury seminar will be canceled - or far less luxurious.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Andreas Tröster, Kronen Zeitung)

Cuts to food and wellness
However, Wurzer has already decided two things before the official decision is made: Either the seminar takes place there or not at all. After looking at the comparative offers, it is clear today, as it was then, that the Salzburg hotel is not only the most cost-effective, but above all the most suitable option for holding such a seminar with 250 people from all over Austria.

According to Wurzer, it is also clear: "It's all about the work." To make this more visible to the outside world, a press conference will be held after the seminar to report transparently on the results. Meals on the day of arrival and departure would be canceled, as would the included entry to the hotel's beautiful wellness area. If the worst comes to the worst, the cash managers would have to pay for the sauna and pool themselves.