Health Insurance in Austria: Which Krankenkasse Covers You Health insurance in Austria: which Krankenkasse covers you. ÖGK, SVS, BVAEB and KFA explained — who belongs where, what it costs and what is covered. Topics: Daily Life, Healthcare.

Austrian health insurance is compulsory and state-run, but it does not work the way it does in Germany or the US. You cannot pick your insurer: your Krankenkasse (health insurance fund) is determined by your employment status — salaried employee, self-employed professional, civil servant or regional public servant.

This guide explains which Krankenkasse funds exist in Austria today, why their number shrank after the 2020 reform, how ÖGK differs from SVS and BVAEB, what the Krankenfürsorgeanstalten are, how much health insurance costs and what it actually covers. By the end you will know which fund you will be assigned to and what to expect at the doctor’s office.

How many Krankenkasse funds exist in Austria: the short answer

Since the social insurance reform that took effect on 1 January 2020, Austria has three main Krankenkasse funds plus a separate group of local funds:

• ÖGK (Österreichische Gesundheitskasse) — the single fund for salaried employees, covering roughly 7.6 million people, about 82% of the population.
• SVS (Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Selbständigen) — the fund for self-employed people, business owners, farmers and freelancers.
• BVAEB (Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter, Eisenbahnen und Bergbau) — the fund for civil servants, railway workers and miners.
• Krankenfürsorgeanstalten (KFA) — around 15 independent funds for employees of the federal provinces, cities and certain groups of teachers.

The full list of social insurance carriers is confirmed by oesterreich.gv.at: health insurance is handled by ÖGK, SVS and BVAEB, while the remaining funds belong to the separate Krankenfürsorgeanstalten category.

Before the reform there were 21 funds — nine regional Gebietskrankenkassen, five company-based Betriebskrankenkassen and several industry carriers. Today the structure is much simpler, and when you start a job you will almost certainly be registered with ÖGK.

The 2020 reform: how 21 funds became five

The government decided to merge the social insurance carriers back in 2018, and the new structure went live on 1 January 2020. The official social insurance portal summarises the process as «Aus 21 werden 5» — from 21 carriers to five, including pension and accident insurance.

What exactly merged in the health insurance sector:

• Nine Gebietskrankenkassen (BGKK, KGKK, NGKK, OGKK, SGKK, STGKK, TGKK, VGKK, WGKK) became ÖGK — previously each federal province had its own fund.
• SVA (fund for business owners) and SVB (fund for farmers) merged into SVS.
• BVA (fund for civil servants) and VAEB (fund for railways and mining) became BVAEB, joined by the Betriebskrankenkasse of the Wiener Verkehrsbetriebe.
• The five company-based Betriebskrankenkassen (for example voestalpine, Mondi, Zeltweg) were absorbed by ÖGK.

The main goal of the reform, as the Ministry of Social Affairs notes, was to cut administrative costs and equalise services across the country. Previously, dental care or physiotherapy was covered more generously in one province than in a neighbouring one. Now the basic benefit package is the same for everyone insured with ÖGK.

For newcomers the reform is a plus: there is no need to study the fine print of nine regional funds — in almost every case your insurance is arranged with the single ÖGK, whether you work in Vienna or in Vorarlberg.

ÖGK: the fund for the majority of employees

Österreichische Gesundheitskasse (ÖGK) is Austria’s largest Krankenkasse. According to ÖGK itself, it insures about 7.6 million people — roughly 82% of the population. Salaried employees (Angestellte and Arbeiter), their families and most pensioners are registered here.

Practical consequences of being insured with ÖGK:

• e-card — the electronic health insurance card you receive after starting a job and use at every doctor’s visit.
• Contribution — 7.65% of your salary: 3.87% deducted from the employee, 3.78% paid by the employer.
• Coverage — visits to contracted doctors, hospital stays, prescription drugs (with a co-payment), preventive check-ups, basic dental care.

It is important to understand that in Austria insurance is tied to the employer, not to your place of residence. When you change jobs, the fund stays the same — ÖGK — only your record in the system changes. If you lose your job, state insurance continues: the employment service AMS covers you for a certain period and you keep your right to medical care.

SVS: insurance for the self-employed

Sozialversicherungsanstalt der Selbständigen (SVS) is the Krankenkasse for people who work for themselves: business owners (Gewerbetreibende), farmers, freelancers and so-called Neue Selbständige — self-employed without a trade licence (for example IT specialists, consultants, artists).

Key differences between SVS and ÖGK:

• Lower contribution — for the self-employed the health insurance rate is 6.80% of the assessment base, with a minimum monthly payment of about 160 euros in 2025.
• Payments depend on income — the fund recalculates contributions once a year based on your tax return, so in the first years with lower income your contribution is lower too.
• Right to Krankengeld (sickness benefit) — the self-employed receive it from the fourth day of illness, without the employer-paid period.

Farmers (Land- und Forstwirtschaft) are also insured with SVS — previously they had their own fund SVB, merged with SVA in 2020.

If you register as self-employed (for example through WKO or the tax office), SVS insurance starts automatically — no separate application to the fund is needed. For more on how sickness payments work for different groups, read our guide to sickness benefits in Austria.

BVAEB: the fund for civil servants, railways and mining

Versicherungsanstalt öffentlich Bediensteter, Eisenbahnen und Bergbau (BVAEB) is the Krankenkasse for public employees and workers in selected industries. It covers:

• Beamte — federal civil servants;
• Vertragsbedienstete — contract employees of the state whose contract was concluded after a certain date;
• employees of ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways);
• workers in the mining industry (Bergbau).

BVAEB is often regarded as a fund with slightly more generous conditions than ÖGK — historically this reflects the special status of civil servants. In practice the difference concerns individual extra services, such as certain types of prevention or choice of doctor.

A separate category is the Krankenfürsorgeanstalten (KFA). These are independent funds for employees of the federal provinces and cities: the best known is KFA Wien for Vienna city administration staff, with KFA Graz and others as well. There are about fifteen of them, and they are not part of the common social insurance umbrella (Dachverband) but are managed independently.

If you take a job in Austria’s public sector, ask the HR department which fund you will be registered with: it can be BVAEB or a regional KFA depending on the province and contract type.

Can you choose your Krankenkasse yourself

The short answer is no. Unlike Germany, where insured people can switch Krankenkasse funds freely, in Austria the fund is strictly determined by your employment status:

Your status	Your Krankenkasse
Salaried employee (Angestellter, Arbeiter)	ÖGK
Pensioner from the salaried system	ÖGK
Business owner, freelancer, farmer	SVS
Civil servant (Beamter), ÖBB employee	BVAEB
Employee of a province or city	KFA (regional)
Student (with foreign insurance only)	depends on status

Free choice exists only in one sense: if you fit several statuses at once (for example, salaried work plus a side business), the main insurance follows your primary employment, and only part of the contributions is charged on the additional income.

This principle often surprises people arriving from Germany, where competition between funds is part of the system. In Austria all three main funds belong to a single umbrella organisation, so the level of basic services is practically identical.

How much does health insurance cost in Austria

The cost of Krankenversicherung is a percentage of income, not a fixed amount. Current rates for 2025–2026:

• Salaried employees: 7.65% of gross salary — 3.87% paid by the employee, 3.78% by the employer. This is confirmed by the WKO contribution table.
• Self-employed (SVS): 6.80% of the assessment base, minimum about 160 euros per month.
• Pensioners: 5.1% of the pension, rising to 6% from 1 June 2025 (a parliamentary change reported by PV).
• Students and people without income: voluntary insurance at fixed rates, for students about 80 euros per month.

Important limits: contributions are only charged up to the Höchstbeitragsgrundlage — the cap on taxable income, which is 6,450 euros per month in 2025. Everything above that is not subject to health insurance. Low earners (up to 551.10 euros per month, the Geringfügigkeitsgrenze) are only insured against accidents through the fund, and take out medical insurance voluntarily.

In practice this means: with a salary of 3,000 euros gross, about 115 euros per month goes to health insurance from your own pocket — and this amount is already part of the standard payroll deductions, so you do not need to pay anything separately.

What the Krankenkasse covers

The basic benefit package is identical for all three main funds and is defined by law:

• Visits to contracted doctors (Kassenärzte) — free with the e-card.
• Hospital stays — in a standard room, with meals and basic care included.
• Prescription drugs — partially covered, with a co-payment of about 10% per medicine (Rezeptgebühr).
• Preventive check-ups — annual medicals, cancer screenings, vaccinations from the national plan.
• Dental care — basic scope: treatment, fillings, extractions; implants and dentures partially.
• Pregnancy and childbirth — fully covered within the Wochengeld and maternity programmes.
• Krankengeld — sickness benefit from day 43 of illness (more in our guide).

What insurance does not cover: Wahlarzt (private doctors without a fund contract — they bill you and the fund reimburses only part), medical services abroad beyond the limits, cosmetic dentistry, alternative medicine without a doctor’s referral.

The most common newcomer question is what the fund covers at the dentist. We covered it separately in «Dentist in Austria: what the Krankenkasse pays for». If you are unsure whether a specific service is included, call your fund — ÖGK, SVS and BVAEB all have hotlines and online portals. Unusual requests such as fitness training are also worth checking: our article on Kieser Training coverage shows that the fund can even pay for such services under certain conditions.

Mitversicherung and the e-card: family insurance and the card

A particularly valuable feature of the Austrian system is Mitversicherung — free family co-insurance. One insured employee can attach family members to their fund at no extra cost:

• Spouse — if their income does not exceed 606.30 euros per month (the 2025 threshold) and they have no compulsory insurance of their own.
• Children — up to age 18 without limits, up to 27 while studying or in training (Ausbildung), and in some cases longer.
• Partner — registered partnerships follow the same rules as marriage.

In practice this means: a family of four with one working parent pays one contribution — everyone else is insured free of charge through Mitversicherung. The spouse receives their own e-card and sees doctors on the same terms.

When registering family co-insurance it is important to submit the documents to the fund on time: the application is filed by the main insured person through the employer or directly with ÖGK. Miss the deadline and the insurance will be backdated, but only after the partner’s income is verified.

The e-card is a plastic chip card that confirms your right to medical care. It is issued automatically after you register with the Krankenkasse and arrives by post within a few weeks.

What you need to know about the e-card:

• Doctor’s visits — show the card at reception: visits to a Kassenarzt (a doctor with a fund contract) are free.
• Pharmacies — when buying prescription drugs, the e-card records your co-payment (Rezeptgebühr).
• Krankenstand — when you are ill, the doctor enters the e-card into the system and your employer sees your sick leave.
• Photo — the card carries a photo; contact the fund to update it.

If the card is lost or stolen, call your Krankenkasse — blocking and reissue are free. Until the new card arrives, a paper Krankenschein (insurance slip) can be obtained from the fund or the employer.

Private supplementary insurance

The state Krankenkasse covers basic needs, but many Austrians also take out Zusatzversicherung — private supplementary insurance. Why it can be useful:

• Wahlarzt — the option to see private doctors and get up to 80% of the cost back;
• a private hospital room and treatment by the head of department;
• better dentistry — implants, ceramics, orthodontics;
• coverage outside Austria — for example treatment in other EU countries beyond the limits.

Private insurance is sold by commercial companies (UNIQA, Wiener Städtische, Allianz, Generali) and does not replace the state fund — it only complements it. It generally makes sense for those who want faster access to doctors and more comfortable treatment conditions.

Experts agree that private supplementary insurance is a question of budget and priorities rather than necessity. Basic medical care in Austria is high-quality, and for most situations the state Krankenkasse is enough.

Austria’s social insurance system is built on the principle of solidarity: contributions depend on income, not on health status. That is why state health insurance remains affordable for everyone, regardless of age or illness.

— Overview of the Austrian health system, Sozialversicherung.at

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Krankenkasse funds exist in Austria?

Since the 2020 reform there are three main funds: ÖGK (for salaried employees, about 82% of the population), SVS (for the self-employed and farmers) and BVAEB (for civil servants, railway and mining workers). In addition there are the Krankenfürsorgeanstalten (KFA) — about 15 local funds for provincial and city employees.

Can I choose my Krankenkasse in Austria?

No. The fund is determined by your employment status: salaried employees are automatically insured with ÖGK, business owners with SVS, civil servants with BVAEB or a regional KFA. Austria’s system does not provide free fund choice as Germany does.

How much does health insurance cost in Austria?

For salaried employees the contribution is 7.65% of gross salary (3.87% paid by the employee, 3.78% by the employer). The self-employed pay 6.80% of the assessment base, minimum about 160 euros per month. Pensioners pay 6% of their pension since June 2025.

What happens to my insurance if I lose my job?

It does not disappear. While you receive unemployment benefit from AMS, state insurance continues. After the benefit period ends, you can take out voluntary insurance with the same fund or join through family co-insurance (Mitversicherung).

What to remember about health insurance in Austria

Here is the key takeaway about Krankenkasse in Austria:

• There are three main funds — ÖGK, SVS and BVAEB — plus about 15 local KFA funds for provincial employees.
• Your fund is not chosen but determined by employment status — most often it is ÖGK.
• The contribution is a percentage of income: 7.65% for salaried employees.
• The e-card is your ticket into the healthcare system, issued after registration with the fund.
• The basic benefit package is uniform; private supplementary insurance is optional.

If you are just moving to Austria and preparing your documents, check whether health insurance is a requirement for your residence permit type — our residence permit guide covers this point in detail. And to keep up with guides on living in Austria, subscribe to our newsletter.