Austria

Austria has the 14th-highest standard of living in the world according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Reports, and Austrians have easily available access to health-care and other social services. With a per capita income of $32,500, Austria ranks as the 17th-richest country in the world. The official poverty rate is 5.9 percent, and the government records unemployment at 5.2 percent. Income is more evenly distributed than in many countries, and Austria ranks 31 on the Gini Index of Human Inequality. The bottom 10 percent of the population share 3.3 percent of total resources, and the richest 10 percent claim 22.5 percent.

Commitment to healthcare has a long history in Austria, and social security, dating back to 1909, is a major element of the healthcare system. The program covers the elderly, the disabled, and survivors of dead workers. Social security is financed by monthly payments from wage earners and salaried employees (10.25 percent of earnings), employers (12.55 percent of payroll), and the government, and is administered by the Federal Ministry of Social Security, Generations, and Consumer Protection. The Health Promotion Law, enacted March 27, 1998, serves as an overall guideline for the provision of healthcare in Austria. The stated purpose of the law is to preserve, promote, and improve the health of Austrians. Implementation of healthcare depends on partnerships between central and lower-level government and on the participation of the citizenry, employers, private insurers, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Maternity and sick leave have been provided for Austrians since 1888. In 1974, wage earners earned the right to cash benefits while on leave, and workers may earn 100 percent of their salaries for up to 12 weeks. If this coverage is exhausted, other programs take over to furnish income supplements. Mothers on maternity leave receive full salary up to eight weeks before birth and for eight weeks after the expected birth date of a child. Fathers also receive full benefits under family leave provisions. The government contracts with doctors, hospitals, and pharmacists to provide maternity and dental care, hospitalization, expenses for medications and medical devices, preventive care, home care, and transportation to the site where medical care is located. Workers pay a low percentage of the costs for themselves and their dependents.

Government spending on health is high in Austria, and the government allocates 13 percent of total government expenditures for healthcare. The government spends 7.5 percent of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in this area, allocating $2,306 (international dollars) per capita to meet health expenses. Some 67.6 percent of all health expenses are covered by the government, and 65.8 percent of that amount is designated for social security. The private sector accounts for 32.4 percent of total health expenses, and 59.20 percent of that amount is derived from out-of-pocket expenses. There are 3.38 physicians, 9.38 nurses, 0.21 midwives, [Page 186]0.50 dentists, and 0.60 pharmacists per 1,000 population in Austria.

Most of the population of 8,192,880 live in the lowlands of the east because other areas are impassable in the winter. Poor soil in these areas makes agricultural activity unfeasible. Austrians enjoy a life expectancy of 79.07 years, and the country ranks 27th in the world in this category. On average, females outlive males by six years. Literacy stands at 98 percent in Austria, and more than 100 percent of students attend both primary and secondary school. The entire population has access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation.

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