Claim for millions

ÖGK Chief Huss: “We’ll discuss this internally!”

ÖGK Chief Andreas Huss remains tight-lipped.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Klemens Groh, ÖGB Vorarlberg)

The federal states are demanding no more and no less than 414 million euros from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) as their share of the “pensioners’ billion” to maintain their hospitals. They made this demand on Sunday in the “Krone.” ÖGK Chairman Andreas Huss reacted with audible reserve on the “ORF-Pressestunde” program.

The states’ proposal has reached the health insurance fund. As the “Krone” reported, Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig and Styrian SPÖ leader Max Lercher supported a demand at the conference of state governors in Vorarlberg: A portion of the higher health insurance premiums paid by retirees should go to the states because they finance the hospitals.

Starting in 2027, this would amount to around 414 million euros per year, and the ÖGK, in particular, would have to contribute this money. For the ÖGK, these premiums serve as an important buffer against deficits. On Sunday’s “ORF-Pressestunde,” Huss did not want to turn this into an open conflict. “We’ll still have to discuss this internally,” said the employee representative, who is himself a Social Democrat. That doesn’t exactly sound like a clear “yes.”

Huss Wants a Debate “in the Living Room”
Huss demonstrated just how sensitive the issue is for him when he turned his attention to his own party. In light of the internal leadership debates, he said that the state of the SPÖ “hurts me deeply.” It also pains him “that we in the SPÖ are having such a hard time finding a unified stance.” His wish for his fellow party members: “That they argue in the living room and less on the balcony.”

Huss adds: “When I read in the Kronen Zeitung today that two party leaders actually want to weaken social security, that undermines the solidarity-based healthcare system—and of course it hurts me when that comes from SPÖ politicians.”

The ÖGK actually needs the additional revenue from the “pensioners’ billion” for itself...(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Huss nevertheless leveled indirect criticism at the states. Hospital costs have risen primarily due to increasingly expensive medications and staffing costs. Individual states are driving up doctors’ salaries, thereby setting off a spiral.

He is therefore calling for uniform employment regulations and rules governing secondary employment. Huss attributes the fact that healthcare spending has risen more than would be explained by an aging population to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, people have been visiting the doctor more often.

“Two-tier waiting times”
When it comes to private practitioners, Huss stands by his demand for a fee cap. He says it is unacceptable to pay so much money, but currently the health insurance fund has no leverage. “We don’t have a two-tier healthcare system, but rather a two-tier waiting time,” he said.

The quality of the system remains “of the highest order.” “If we have a problem, it’s the wait times.” Huss once again rejects copayments for doctor visits, as proposed by the employer side of the ÖGK. They would only be felt by low-income earners; “for the middle and upper income tertiles, this doesn’t matter.” Free access to specialists is the subject of intense discussion in the reform groups. When it comes to patient referral, the 1450 hotline has become a “key to success.”

Huss expressly welcomes the fact that pharmacies will be allowed to administer vaccinations in the future. “The question will be when they’ll finally be allowed to do so.” This isn’t “rocket science” and has long been standard practice worldwide. In the next fiscal equalization, the vaccination program must also be better funded for this purpose.

Opposition Sees Systemic Failure
Reactions came not from the SPÖ, but from the opposition. FPÖ health spokesperson Gerhard Kaniak spoke of a “confirmation of systemic failure in the Austrian healthcare system.” Green Party health spokesperson Ralph Schallmeiner countered: “If you need a credit card to get an appointment with a specialist, that’s two-tier healthcare.”