High costs for accompanying sick children: Vienna leads!

High costs for accompanying sick children: Vienna leads!

Marie, an 11-year-old girl from Vienna, suffers from bilateral hip misalignment and requires extensive medical care in the hospital. The financial burdens for parents who accompany their sick children are particularly high in Vienna. In 2024, Maire initially had to pay hospital costs of 539.77 euros, followed by another 466.80 euros. By the beginning of 2025, the costs for the accompaniment are expected to be 1,151.44 euros, which many families are heavily burdened. Even if hospital stays for children in Austria are covered by statutory health insurance, all federal states charge separate fees for accompanying a caregiver. In many cases, this leads to considerable financial burdens for families with chronically ill children, such as ots.at reported.

The costs for the accompanying persons vary greatly between the federal states. While Upper Austria has the most social regulations, Lower Austria has reduced the fees. There, the accompanying costs are limited to 14 days, and there are no fees for children with disabilities. For children from the age of three in Lower Austria, the fees are between 14.43 and 43.40 euros per day. In Vienna, on the other hand, the costs for accompanying children between 3 and 6 years are set to 45.10 euros per day, and for children over 14 years they amount to 96.69 euros per day. At the same time, there have been almost 20 %in Vienna since 2023. This means that a 14-day stay in Vienna can cost up to 1,400 euros.

The role of parents in the hospital

The presence of the parents during a hospital stay is of great importance. Children are often scared in a hospital environment and feel safer through the presence of their parents. Sufficient family -based accompaniment can promote the recovery process and at the same time relieve the hospital staff. Kurier.at emphasizes that the stress for the families should not increase further. Johanna Part, Managing Director of Kib Children Care, emphasizes that the reduced costs for accompanying sick children must remain an important demand.

The costs for accompanying the hospital are a significant challenge for the families of sick children. While in 2019 more than 153,000 hospital stays for children aged 0 to 14 years were recorded, the accompanying costs are still an unsolved problem. The child's self -retention was abolished in 2017; However, this did not relieve accompanying parents who still have to bear the costs.

regulation of the cost contributions

The financial burdens associated with hospital stays are regulated by given legal regulations for the cost contribution according to § 27 and § 27a of the Federal Law on Hospital and Causan Agency (KAKUG). The respective state governments determine the valid cost contributions, which vary depending on the state. As a rule, patients pay a contribution to a cost per care day, which is charged for a maximum of 28 days per calendar year. Then the social security covers the costs.

The accompaniment of children in the hospital is an important 主题 that is supported by the Each Charter (Charter for Children in the Hospital). This charter is committed to free accompaniment, although the fees are still incurred, as the Ministry of Health recognizes. The KIB Children Care association has campaigned for the rights of parents and children since 1986 and continues to demand that the stress of families are reduced. Over 40,000 parents were supported to abolish strict visiting times and to expand the care system.

Overall, the demand for a fair and fair health system remains a central concern of society for all families with sick children. The financial burden of accompanying costs cannot be ignored, and it is hoped that the continuous work of organizations such as KIB Children Care and the support from the public will soon occur.