2024-05-13 09:52:29
Like a prayer wheel, conservatives and neoliberals present their demand for a reduction in non-wage labor costs – one could almost believe that it would be the solution to everything anyway. But the truth is: No matter how many times you repeat these false claims, they no longer come true. Employees who would be particularly affected by a cut would be the employees who would pay these additional wage costs – which in fact Edge benefits earned only through their efforts. The employers never own the money, they just transfer it to the employees. But what would be the consequences of reducing fringe benefits? And where would you feel it?
Huge consequences of “small” cuts.
“People would notice very quickly the consequences of cutting health insurance contributions,” says Julia Stroj, health policy expert at the ÖGB, clear and calculates: “Currently, a total of 7.65 percent of gross income flows into health insurance.” Specifically, 3.87 percent comes from employees and 3.78 percent from additional wage costs. “Every cut logically means that the health insurance company has to make savings or they no longer provide some services or they only provide them. Deductibles provide,” explains Stroj. “In any case, it leads to higher profits for companies, Because nothing else will reduce unpaid labor costs,” said the expert. Contrary to popular belief, this has nothing to do with gross or net income.
death drastic consequences also show with clear figures: “Even if employers’ contributions were reduced by 0.1 percent, the ÖGK would have 140 million euros less available per year – that is approximately the cost of 350 statutory health insurance doctors,” says Stroj, says: “And if it’s not the health insurance offices, it’s, for example, health promotion or prevention that has to suffer, and that would have long-term health consequences.”
What does health cost
Even everyday necessities can quickly become expensive: up to 800,000 people In Austria, for example, there are diabetics – the corresponding care costs about 5,000 euros every year. In the case of dementia, care easily costs 15,000 euros per patient per year. Immediate birth costs four-digit sums – the necessary annual checks alone cost around 1,000 euros. If you get seriously ill, you can quickly rack up thousands of euros in costs. If you stop getting health insurance at one of these points because you don’t have the money, you’ll have to pay deductibles—and that can get expensive and not affordable for you. many people. “The quality of medical care should not depend on personal financial possibilities. But that would – quite quickly – lead to cuts in non-wage labor costs,” says ÖGB expert Stroj.
The future of health insurance is at risk
Apart from concrete figures, Stroj also warns of an underlying problem: “The increasing demographic change or the effects of the climate crisis are major challenges that are already affecting our health system and will be even more so in the future. “It must be clear to everyone that we will need more health services and better health services in the future, not less,” the expert claims. “We cannot make cuts in labor costs that are not related to wages, “If we don’t want to jeopardize people’s health, health insurance and the welfare state as a whole,” she says.
By the way, employer contributions to health insurance are: the second oldest welfare state contribution in Austria. “They were decided in 1888 and introduced in 1889. This laid the foundation for our welfare state and therefore our prosperity as well. But more than 130 years ago, Austrian employers were of the opinion that this was an unreasonable burden,” said Stroj. And there are still employers anyway – or precisely because of that.
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