Austria’s coalition government will launch a €500 million-a-year Health Reform Fund to expand primary care, strengthen prevention, and boost digital health services. Welcomed by health agencies, the plan faces Green criticism for lacking structural reform and creating three separate funds with politically appointed boards instead of one unified system
Austria’s ruling ÖVP-SPÖ-NEOS coalition has unveiled details of a new Health Reform Fund that will provide about €500 million annually over five years to modernize the healthcare system, close care gaps, and improve access to services. Financed through increased pensioner health insurance contributions, the fund aims to expand primary healthcare units (PVEs), strengthen preventive care, boost mental health services, and enhance digital healthcare infrastructure.
Health Minister Korinna Schumann said the fund will target nationwide service coverage and healthier living across all age groups, from child nutrition and disease prevention to elderly independence. By 2030, the goal is to establish 300 primary care, women’s health, and diabetes centers, supported by greater digitalization, teleservices, and a unified 1450 hotline.
The fund will be overseen by a five-member advisory board, including two health experts, which will recommend funding decisions for ministerial approval. Austrian Health Insurance Fund head Andreas Huss welcomed the initiative as a key step toward stable, patient-centered care.
However, the Greens criticized the plan as a superficial measure lacking genuine reform, warning that it creates three separate funds rather than a unified instrument and leaves room for political appointments to the advisory board.
