Long waiting times for appointments, doctors at their limits: more and more donors feel abandoned and take out private insurance.
Weeks of waiting for an appointment with the statutory health insurer despite unbearable pain or suspicious symptoms – when the patient finally arrives in the waiting room, he is checked in within a few minutes and feels left alone, even though he pays a significant part of his salary every month into the social security fund.
Our healthcare system, once a landmark in Austrian social policy, is on its last legs. Contributors already have the feeling that more and more benefits are being cut. Because rising expenses are offset by falling incomes due to demographic changes. This makes private insurers happy.
As interest in private medical care increases – previously something for people with top incomes – this care is now increasingly chosen by average earners under the age of 35. This is the result of a current survey of Wiener Städtische, conducted by the Gallup Institute.
Here is a graph showing the reasons for private healthcare.
While 32 percent strictly refused private insurance last year, this will only be 26 percent in 2023. Nearly every second person now has a private doctor or special insurance, and many even have both. Austrians’ confidence in the state health care system is rapidly declining and citizens’ fears are increasing.
Great confidence in Asian medicine
Even traditional medicine has to give up. Three in four respondents now see alternative or complementary medicine as part of healthcare in our country. More than half already have experience with this type of treatment, and just under a fifth have used it in the past twelve months.
The majority of them see acupuncture, homeopathy, Bach flower remedies or TCM as an optimal addition to conventional medicine. A sixth even prefer alternative healing or prevention methods to traditional treatments.
But there is a difference between the sexes. While women tend to use homeopathic remedies or Bach flower remedies, men rely on stimulation through needle pricks. They prefer acupuncture.
Men are catching up in the areas of healthy eating and exercise
A specialist in complementary medicine is most often consulted for neck and back problems, followed by the consequences of stress and gastrointestinal complaints. When it comes to children, mothers in particular rely on alternative medicine, especially when it comes to their offspring’s allergies. By the way, since the Corona pandemic, the stronger sex has been catching up in terms of health awareness. This includes healthy eating and exercise.
Restraint in psychological problems
In general, Mr and Mrs Austrians feel physically fit. After all, 60 percent of the study participants rated their current physical health as very good to good. When it comes to mental problems, Austrians are cautious. They still find it easier to talk about a broken foot than about psychological problems. The prevailing view is: I can solve this myself.
Children are still experiencing mental stress due to the consequences of the pandemic. The proportion of girls and boys who are currently psychologically stressed from their parents’ perspective is 39 percent.
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.
