ABSTRACT
The European healthcare systems differ widely in their epidemiological, ideological, political and organisational background and framework and so the task of public health faces quite different environments in different countries. This country report provides an overview of the constitutional framework of Austrian health care policy and the role of public health in this country's Bismarck-model system. As a part of the internal convention between the federal government and all the provinces a new Austrian Health Plan will be introduced. This plan consists of the Hospital Plan including a Major Medical-technical Equipment Plan, both of which are subject to ongoing review and further development. Measures of preventive health care - in particular those of a population level nature - were largely excluded from the set of policy targets of social health insurance bodies. As early as 1948 the examination of young people was introduced as a standard benefit of social health insurance bodies.
