The National Council approved health care reform on Wednesday. The government has achieved approximately 80 percent of its objectives; there is even talk of something ‘big’. There is great skepticism among the opposition. During the plenary session, there was often talk about the ‘patient billion’ that was announced years ago. This does not exist to this day.
The fundamental motivation for the reform was to improve the situation of patients, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) said in his speech. The agreed healthcare reform, together with financial equalization, commits to supra-regional and cross-sectoral planning and control, and to ensuring comprehensive financing of the entire healthcare system. For the outpatient sector alone, 300 million euros annually will be allocated until 2028, and 550 million euros for the outpatient sector in 2024. The latter amount will gradually increase to a total of approximately three billion in 2028.
Doctors of their choice required to participate in ELGA
The aim is to make it easier to set up primary care departments, group practices and outpatient clinics. The Medical Association’s previous options to object to new health insurers or social insurer outpatient clinics no longer apply. These would have led to endless delays, Green Party leader Sigrid Maurer pointed out. Health Advice 1450 should be expanded and mandatory diagnosis coding introduced in private practice. By 2026, elective physicians will be required to participate in the e-card system and ELGA. The entire reform was adopted with the votes of the government, but the SPÖ also voted on some points.
SPÖ: Where are the ‘patient billions’?
Still, there were enough points for red criticism: the leading club leader of the SPÖ, Philip Kucher, lacked sufficient resources, both in the health and care sector. When the health insurance funds were reformed, a “billion patients” were promised, but that still doesn’t exist today and we would still have to look for paediatricians. The SPÖ demanded a guarantee from a specialist within fourteen days.
NEOS criticism of the drug review committee
Social spokesperson Gerald Loacker of NEOS criticized the fact that states with more money can continue to operate their outpatient clinics in hospitals as before. Loacker also had a bad time on the ratings board for selected medicinal specialties. He feared that the savings would come at the expense of patients, who would likely have to take legal action for medicines, the pink man noted.
FPÖ sees “reaching into the toilet”
Liberal health care spokesman Gerhard Kaniak also said a lot of money was flowing to states and therefore to hospitals, even though the government actually wanted to divert patients from outpatient practice to private practice. The reform is a ‘drain in the toilet’.
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) had already expressed his conviction in the morning that the quality of the supply would be guaranteed. He also cited the SPÖ governors’ praise for financial equalization and health care reform.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
