Insurance fund effectively reducing expenses.

Insurance fund effectively reducing expenses.

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Austria's Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is facing flak over its austerity package, which was agreed upon by the Supervisory Board and General Assembly, announced on Wednesday. Critics argue that the proposed measures put unnecessary burdens on the elderly and may compromise healthcare quality.

The Vienna Senior Citizens' Association and the SPÖ-affiliated Pensioners' Association slammed the plans, stating, "It's unacceptable to demand higher contributions from pensioners and to even reduce services." The Vienna Medical Association, on the other hand, condemned the plans, calling for "genuine enhancements" in outpatient care rather than focusing on cost-cutting.

Among the ÖGK's plans, MRT and CT scans will require approval by the end of the year, co-payments for orthopedic insoles will increase, and there will be cost-sharing for ambulance services. Additionally, electronic approval for physiotherapy is under discussion, along with contributions for determining vitamin D levels without a medical indication. At ÖGK, nearly half of pension positions won't be filled this year.

Ingrid Korosec, Senior Citizens' Association President, slammed ÖGK President Peter McDonald, stating, "If he thinks the ÖGK can be saved on the backs of the elderly, he's gravely mistaken!" She demanded immediate talks between ÖGK and the Senior Citizens' Council, protesting the announced expansion of electronic administration. The SPÖ-affiliated Pensioners' Association also criticized the plans, labeling them as "socially unbalanced" and "absolutely unacceptable."

FPÖ Health spokesman Gerhard Kaniak accused the system parties of making the elderly "scapegoats for the health policy failure." Meanwhile, concerns have been raised in the Vienna Medical Association about the planned approval requirements for MRT, CT, and possibly physiotherapy. The proposed measures, criticized for being communicated through the media without clear designer intentions, could lead to longer waiting times for patients, cuts in services, and additional bureaucratic burdens for practices.

According to a survey presented on Wednesday, local communities worry about the availability of medical care due to an expected shortage of public doctors in the next five years. This issue was addressed by Edgar Wutscher, Vice-President of the Austrian Medical Association, who suggested strategies such as allowing public doctors to work part-time, removing bureaucratic hurdles for modern work models, and introducing a uniform performance catalog to attract more doctors to the public system.

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The financial strains faced by the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), with projected deficits exceeding €1 billion, have fueled concerns about service sustainability. Austerity measures, criticized as counterproductive, risk compromising healthcare quality, exacerbating workforce shortages, and disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups, such as retirees reliant on public healthcare[1].

Solutions proposed for pensioners include preventive care prioritization, cross-sector collaboration, and pension-linked healthcare incentives[1]. Integrating supplemental healthcare benefits into pension packages could alleviate out-of-pocket expenses for retirees, following trends seen in Austria’s banking sector[2][3]. However, such measures would require legislative backing and stakeholder cooperation to avoid exacerbating the ÖGK's fiscal challenges[1].

1. The Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) is under fire for its austerity package, which some argue unfairly burden pensioners and may impact healthcare quality.
2. The Vienna Medical Association has called for improvements in outpatient care rather than cost-cutting measures proposed by ÖGK.
3. Among the ÖGK's plans, there will be approval requirements for MRT, CT scans, and possibly physiotherapy by the end of the year, increased co-payments for orthopedic insoles, and cost-sharing for ambulance services.
4. Critics, including the Senior Citizens' Association and the SPÖ-affiliated Pensioners' Association, assert that it's unacceptable to demand higher contributions from pensioners while reducing services.
5. Ingrid Korosec, President of the Senior Citizens' Association, has voiced concern about the ÖGK's plans, stating that the ÖGK President Peter McDonald is wrong to think the fund can be saved at the expense of the elderly.
6. With projected deficits exceeding €1 billion, concerns about the financial sustainability of the ÖGK have arisen, and some suggest solutions like pension-linked healthcare incentives and integrating supplemental healthcare benefits into pension packages to help alleviate the budgetary strains.

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