**Table 3: Authorization for Treatment Abroad (EC-wide), 1997–1998**

|**Estimated**<br>**number of**<br>**cases**|**Estimated total**<br>**amount (Euro)**|**% of persons in**<br>**relation to total**<br>**number of insured**<br>**persons**|**% of the general costs of**<br>**Austrian health**<br>**insurance and hospital**<br>**care**|**Estimated**<br>**average costs**<br>**per case**<br>**(Euro)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|850|4,700,000.00|0.0154|0.04|5,523.00|

Source: The author assembled these figures from an internal report of the Austrian Ministry for Social Affairs and a report of the _Association Internationale de la Mutualité_ . The figures represent only estimates.

In 1997/1998 about 58,000 people traveled abroad and sought (partial) reimbursement for mainly non-hospital treatment, for the average costs of only 58 Euro (see Table 4). There is no reason to believe that these figures have changed substantially since then. It can be assumed that a large percentage of the reported cases concerned patients that purchased dental treatment in Hungary. From the 4,715 cases reported by the Lower Austrian HIF, 1,200 cases concerned reimbursement of dental treatment outside the “old” EU/EEA Member States.<sup>25</sup>

**Table 4: Reimbursement for Treatment Abroad (World-wide), 1997–1998**

|**Institution**|**Number of**<br>**cases (per**<br>**year)**|**Amount of**<br>**reimbursement**<br>**per year (Euro)**|**% of persons**<br>**in relation to**<br>**total number**<br>**of insured**<br>**persons**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Lower<br>Austrian HIF|4,715|271,549.00|0.6559|||
||**Estimated**<br>**number of**<br>**cases (per**<br>**year)**|**Estimated**<br>**amount of**<br>**reimbursement**<br>**per year (Euro)**|**% of persons**<br>**in relation to**<br>**total number**<br>**of insured**<br>**persons**|**% of the**<br>**general costs**<br>**of Austrian**<br>**health**<br>**insurance and**<br>**hospital care**|**Average costs**<br>**per case**<br>**(Euro)**|
|Austria (total)|58,030|3,445,470.00|1.0517|0.03|58.00|

Source: The author assembled these figures from an internal report of the Austrian Ministry for Social Affairs and a report of the _Association Internationale de la Mutualité_ . The figures represent only estimates.

The figures presented above do not include cases in which people purchased health care abroad without being reimbursed. The number of these not reported cases is according to many sources much higher than the reported cases. In a report in 2005, the renowned consumer protection journal _Konsument_ speculated about 160,000 Austrians traveling to Hungary for dental treatment every year.<sup>26</sup> In a small exploratory study in 2006, Österle

> 25 These people supposedly went to the former Central European and Eastern European Countries.

> 26 The findings of the journal _Konsument_ , however, are based on anecdotal reports by patients, dentists, dental technicians, and dental companies. In addition, the findings are inconclusive. On the one hand, there is much praise primarily coming from the patients. They appreciated friendliness, language skills, time dedicated to patients, and prices. On the other hand, there was also much criticism, especially—yet not surprisingly—by Austrian dentists. They criticized that the time dedicated to the patients was too short, 90 percent of the edges of crowns would not fit the standard, 80 to 90 percent of the patients would have gum problems, and oral hygiene would not be a subject.

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