Austria’s national health insurer, the Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK), is warning of deepening financial trouble, projecting nearly €800 million in losses by 2029 as structural pressures weigh heavily on the country’s health-care system, according to “KURIER”.
The latest forecast shows the ÖGK expecting a deficit of €459.6 million in 2026, rising to €797.7 million three years later. This year alone, the insurer is €546.6 million in the red, while the combined deficit of all statutory health funds totals €583.3 million.
Although an August outlook predicted a €591 million loss for 2025, officials now expect that figure to be about €8 million lower. In 2026, Austria’s three public health insurers together are on track for a €438.3 million deficit, widening to €926.9 million by 2029.
The Insurance Fund for Public Employees, Railways, and Mining (BVAEB) anticipates a €105.7 million loss in 2025. By contrast, the Social Insurance Institution for the Self-Employed (SVS) expects a €69.1 million surplus, slightly softening the nationwide shortfall. Still, the ÖGK’s projections are far from its earlier ambition of a balanced budget by 2026.
Peter McDonald, chair of Austria’s social insurance federation, said the new numbers underscore a “systemic need for action.” He called for a unified financing structure in which funding follows medical services, and endorsed a proposal by Salzburg Governor Karoline Edtstadler to place all health-care responsibilities under federal control. Public frustration and tight provincial budgets, he noted, are adding pressure for reform.
McDonald urged sharper focus on medical necessity, linking CT and MRI use more closely to scientific evidence and encouraged greater patient responsibility and stronger incentives for preventive care.
Austria’s health system, he warned, is strained by an aging population, fewer contributors, rising treatment costs driven by medical advances, and slower economic growth. The result, he said, is a widening gap between escalating expenses and the revenues meant to sustain them.
