Two-tier healthcare: an analysis of the healthcare system in Austria

The master thesis deals with the Austrian healthcare system and its two-tier characteristics. The aim of the master thesis was to find out how doctors and patients perceive the healthcare system in Austria and its two-tier characteristics by analyzing the relevant literature and conducting 12 expert interviews with five doctors, five patients and two borderline cases. Therefore, the research question of the master thesis reads as follows: How do doctors and patients in Tyrol perceive the Austrian healthcare system with respect to its two-tier characteristics?The results of the master thesis are that in general, Austrian doctors and patients perceive the Austrian healthcare system as good and advanced, especially compared to other countries. However, there are still differences which concerns doctors as well as patients and these occur mostly due to the different insurance status one can have, namely compulsory insured and supplementary insured. The insurance status can have an essential impact on patients when receiving healthcare with regards to access, in terms of waiting times for doctor appointments or the availability of healthcare facilities, and treatment concerning diagnoses and comfort. A two-tier healthcare system has different characteristics and it can have an impact on different levels of healthcare. This kind of system can be perceived very critically through differences in the treatment level or it can be seen in an unproblematic way when it comes to the service level as it has no impact on the health status of a person. In Austria, differences in the treatment level do not exist as equality is one of the main principles of healthcare. Differences in the service level are apparent in Austria as one can pay in order to get more privacy and comfort as well as to receive treatment from the doctor of one´s choice.