An important aspect when moving abroad is the medical care that the country has to offer. You also want to know whether you can insure yourself properly. How does this work in Austria? Do you perhaps need international health insurance for this? Or is it the case that you will automatically be insured through your employer? Don't panic and don't worry. Healthcare in Austria is very well organised.
We would like to answer a number of frequently asked questions regarding healthcare in Austria. This way, you can start your international move with peace of mind knowing that Austrian healthcare is very well organised. Are you going to emigrate to Austria?
Healthcare in Austria
In Austria, it is mandatory to have health insurance. In the country, this is automatically regulated by law. All employees and self-employed persons, including their families, are insured. In principle, everyone is therefore entitled to health care. When you go to work in Austria, you are automatically insured through your employer. As an insured person, you cannot decide for yourself whether you want to be insured at all or with which health insurer you are insured.
How is healthcare financed in Austria?
How is all this paid for, you might wonder. It is financed by taxes and subsidies from the government. You pay a monthly premium from your income and the amount of this premium depends on what you earn. The nice thing about health insurance in Austria is that all family members are also insured. Even your children who are studying are simply insured until they are 28.
When you are registered, you will receive a health insurance card. This is a green card that you must have with you at all times. The rest of the family will receive an online health insurance card. Also called the e-card. This e-card contains your identity number and that is why you are allowed to use it as an identity card by the Austrian government.
Own contribution
Most things are reimbursed by the basic insurance, but a small contribution is requested, for example, the purchase of prescribed medicines.
Private health insurance
If someone does not fall under the social care system, he/she must take out private health insurance. Sometimes people also choose to take out additional insurance. The costs of this are very high, so it is not done often. Of course, it depends on the type of private insurance you take out, but with this you can also go to private clinics and you can declare the additional contributions for your prescribed medicines with the insurance company. The number of Austrians who actually take out private health insurance is not many. This is not only because it is a lot more expensive, but also because the public health care system in Austria is already very good.
Your Dutch health insurance
In the Netherlands, we all have an insurance obligation. This means that everyone is required to be insured with a Dutch health insurer.
Cancelling your Dutch health insurance in time
When you decide to live abroad, this will of course have consequences for your Dutch health insurance. Namely, when you no longer live in the Netherlands, you are obliged to cancel your Dutch health insurance in time. You can do this by means of a special form due to emigration. You can request this form from your health insurance, fill it in and return it. So it is actually a fairly simple step.
Benefit
When you move abroad, you not only need to arrange your health insurance properly, but you also need to look carefully at your possible benefits. Do you receive benefits? Then it is best to contact the UWV or the municipality concerned to ask about your benefits when emigrating. When you emigrate, different rules apply. Sometimes it is even the case that if you move abroad, you are simply no longer entitled to them. So ask carefully what applies to you.
What is good to know is that you can take your unemployment benefit with you to Austria for 3 months. This is because member states of the European Union (EU) have separate rules for this. Are you moving to a country that is not a member of the EU or are you moving outside the EU? Then you are not entitled to this. A Wajong benefit, for example, may not be taken abroad either, but there are exceptions to this. So perhaps it can be taken in your situation. Again, ask the UWV about all this and then you will know for sure what you can and cannot get later.
Pension
Are you currently receiving a pension or do you expect to receive one soon? Then it is best to contact the Social Insurance Bank or your own pension fund. In the event of emigration, different rules may apply and we do not know your personal situation. When receiving a pension, the length of time you have lived and worked in the Netherlands is often taken into account.
Finally
An international move is therefore very nice, but it certainly requires the necessary preparation. You are responsible for many of the things that you have to arrange yourself, so arrange this all in good time. It might be useful to make a handy checklist for yourself. That way you know for sure that you will not forget anything.
Do you have any questions?
Do you have any other questions about emigrating to Austria after reading this article? Maybe you want to know more about what else you need to arrange or do you want to know what the situation is like in Austria with regard to corona? Then you can of course always consult our other articles on the website.
