Public Health System
Any EU citizen would be delighted to know that even if you only plan to stay temporarily in the country, you are already entitled to free basic health care. Make sure to have your E111 form or the European Health Insurance Card from your home country.
Your coverage as an EU citizen would normally include the same health care privileges as that of an Austrian citizen, and would also include social security system benefits such as accident, pension, and unemployment insurances.
Foreign individuals on the other hand, are automatically part of the public health system once employed. Your employer is the one who is required to forward the application to the district health insurance fund (Gebietskrankenkasse).
Once enrolled, you would be provided a green Social Insurance Card or Sozialversicherungskarte that displays your name, social insurance number, and date of birth. This card is very important if you wish to have access to medical services.
Family members can be automatically enrolled as your dependents and would receive the same level of health care that you do.
The amount of premium to be paid would depend on one's income.
Health care for expats
Expats must remember to make an appointment for any non-emergency medical visits as waiting times can be lengthy. Normal appointments are usually made in the morning.
In Vienna, the word Krankenschein (which refers to an insurance voucher) is very important in medical consultations. This voucher is issued by the health insurance fund and there are different kinds depending on which kind of doctor you are to see. Each voucher costs about 3.63 Euro. Note that vouchers are issued in limited numbers per quarter in some Austrian districts.
Keep a lookout for doctors who have a sign on the door front that says Kassenarzt or Alle Kassen. These are the doctors you need to look for if you do not have international health insurance or private health insurance who will accept state payments.
In Vienna, emergency cases are treated without any need of verification of public or private insurance. This is in accordance with the Austrian Health Law.
Laws on prescriptions in this country are very strict. If you take any regular medication, make sure to have them with you once you move to Vienna. Take note as well that the Apotheke is different from the Drogeries as the former refers to pharmacies where you can buy medicines, and the latter to drugstores where you can buy toiletries.
With state insurance most prescription medicines are covered, but expect to pay a small fee for some drugs. Pharmacies are normally open daily from 8 am to 6 pm and 8 am to 12 pm on Saturdays.
You may check http://www.wien.gv.at/english/health-socialservices/ for more information.
