The Austrian health insurers closed the year 2022 with a minus of 410.9 million euros, slightly better than expected. A loss of EUR 603.7 million is forecast for this year, after a deficit of EUR 578.7 million was forecast in May according to current data. Peter Lehner, co-chair of the Conference of Social Security Institutions, identified the need for action on financial equalization.
Three months ago, the responsible authorities calculated a deficit of EUR 421.2 million for 2002. In the end, the end result was EUR 10.3 million better.
Graphic: Management of health insurers
After the low of 603.7 million euros predicted for this year, the balance sheet loss should therefore decrease rapidly in the coming years, according to the preliminary income and payment forecast (as of 15 August 2023). This should be 242.3 million euros in 2024, 160.9 million euros in 2025, 141.3 million euros in 2026 and 165.2 million euros in 2027.
Only SVS in the previous year with a positive balance
Last year, only the social insurance for the self-employed (SVS) was positive with a positive balance of 8.6 million euros in 2022. But deficits of 62, 2 or 37.9 million euros are also predicted for this fund, in which Lehner is chairman.
Expenditure on institutional care has increased the most
Health insurers spent around 5.9 billion euros on medical assistance last year, an increase of 8.5 percent compared to 2022. A further increase of 6.9 percent to 6.3 billion euros is expected for this year. Expenditure on medicines rose by seven percent to 4.5 billion euros last year, this year an increase of 8.2 percent is estimated to around 4.9 billion euros. Expenditure on institutional care rose the most, namely by 10.2 percent to 5.9 billion euros in the previous year. This year that must be plus 6.7 percent to 6.2 billion euros.
In a written statement, Lehner also underlined that Social Security benefits are rising sharply: “These numbers are a challenge to the current financial equalization negotiations: Social Security needs the leeway to finance the heavily used established area and cannot blindly across the board.”
ÖGK with fourth minus point in a row
For Andreas Huss, who is the employee representative and currently president of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), the current payment forecast clearly shows that the gap between funding and the need for health services among the population is widening. The ÖGK deficit of 350 million euros for 2023 will be the fourth negative annual result in a row, he warned in a broadcast.
In total, the ÖGK – established under the turquoise-blue federal government – has already incurred 730 million euros in losses since its start in 2020 (including the forecast for 2023). According to Huss, the reserves that the regional health insurance funds contributed to the ÖGK in 2019 have shrunk from 1.4 billion euros to 700 million euros (including the forecast for 2023).
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
