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As beneficiaries of subsidiary protection have no maximum time limit on basic care, they always enjoy health insurance similar to asylum seekers (see Reception Conditions: Health Care). Meanwhile, refugees enjoy basic care for 4 months after the recognition of their status. When participating in courses of the job centres, they are also covered by health insurance. As soon as they start to work more than a few hours, the mandatory health insurance takes effect. When refugees are considered to be without resources and receive needs-oriented minimum basic benefits, they also have health insurance.
Access to psychological therapy of traumatised refugees and torture survivors is possible as a transitional measure within AMIF projects when the therapy was already begun during the asylum procedure. Although such projects exist in every federal province, their capacities barely cover the demand. Starting with 2021, a new project called RESET funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs was introduced. It provides extra funding for organisations offering psychotherapy to refugees.[1] Other costs of psychological therapy are only partly covered by health insurances.
COVID-19 vaccination plans foresaw asylum seekers to be eligible for vaccination in an early phase which caused a controversial debate. The willingness of getting vaccinated differed a lot, depending on the nationality: As of December 2021, the vaccination quota of Syrian nationals residing in Austria only reached 55%, while the quota of vaccinated Afghan nationals (72%) exceeded the number of vaccinated Austrian nationals (68%).[2]
[1] Asylkoordination österreich, RESET heißt Neustart, available in German at: https://bit.ly/3O0cF3d.
[2] Statisik Austria, Nationales Impfregister, 30 November 2021.