A new law reduces the costs of medications in Austria!
The Austrian parliament has approved a new legal amendment aimed at alleviating the financial burden on citizens regarding the costs of medications. Under the new system, all medication costs, even those below the prescription fee, will be included in the annual maximum that an individual pays from their net income.
Until now, a person was exempt from paying prescription fees after spending 2% of their annual net income. However, the problem was that low-priced medications were not counted towards this ceiling, causing many patients, especially retirees, to continue paying despite exceeding the required limit. This was pointed out by "Bernhard Achitz", a member of the Volksanwaltschaft, after receiving a complaint from a retiree who spent 521 euros over the year, but only 360 euros were counted.
The new law, which came based on a proposal from the Volksanwaltschaft, replaces the "prescription fee cap" with a "drug cost cap," so that all actual expenses paid by the patient are taken into account, whether they are higher or lower than the official prescription fee.
Starting from 2026, the "Drug Cost Account" will be activated, which calculates both the paid fees and the prices of medications covered by health insurance, even if their value is less than the prescription fee, provided that the patient is the one who paid them. In 2027, the maximum limit will be gradually reduced from 2% to 1.5% of the net annual income, expanding the group of beneficiaries of exemptions.
The decision was welcomed by the SPÖ party, where the spokesperson for health affairs, "Rudolf Silvan," confirmed that this step ensures greater fairness in the healthcare system and prevents discrimination against those who need low-cost medications. It was also announced that the prescription fee for 2026 will be fixed at the same level as 2025 without an increase.