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Federalism and Decentralization in European Health and Social Care pp 154–189Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Federalism in Health and Social Care in Austria

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Abstract

In Austria, health and social care are organized in separate systems, which themselves are fragmented and display substantial degrees of fiscal as well as parafiscal federalism. While a major part of healthcare funding is based on contributions to mandatory social health insurance, social care is not part of the country’s Bismarckian tradition and remains essentially tax-funded. As a consequence, health care, on the one hand, and social care, on the other hand, are characterized by different degrees and flavors of federalism. The federal government as well as the country’s provinces take responsibilities in health and social care. Self-governed social health insurance is a more visible player in health care, where its regional bodies determine financing and delivery in outpatient and rehabilitative care.

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Authors
  1. Birgit Trukeschitz
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  2. Ulrike Schneider
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  3. Thomas Czypionka
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom

    Joan Costa-Font (Reader in Political Economy) (Reader in Political Economy)

  2. Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, USA

    Scott L. Greer (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

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© 2013 Birgit Trukeschitz, Ulrike Schneider, and Thomas Czypionka

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Trukeschitz, B., Schneider, U., Czypionka, T. (2013). Federalism in Health and Social Care in Austria. In: Costa-Font, J., Greer, S.L. (eds) Federalism and Decentralization in European Health and Social Care. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137291875_8

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