You really should be well informed about possibilities of medical insurance in Austria before you come to Graz.
Basically every student in Austria is covered by accident and liability insurance after paying the student union fee. But nevertheless you need an additional insurance for primary health care:
EU-/EEA students can use their European insurance card (e-card) in Austria in the same way as usual. But the insurance may not cover the same benefits as in your home country - therefore you should ask about the insurance coverage prior to your departure. All other students need to obtain medical insurance for students with GKK (Steiermärkische Gebietskrankenkassa); then they will send you your e-card. You can find more information about this at the “Büro für Internationale Beziehungen” of Karl-Franzens-University Graz and also of University of Technology Graz. There will be an extra presentation on how to obtain medical insurance in Austria during the Orientation Weeks.
You have to show your e-card everytime you go to a doctor or to the hospital. Of course, they will treat you even without your e-card, but in this case you have to pay a deposit, which you get back after showing a proof of insurance.
At the end of this page you can find a document which lists doctors who speak English or other foreign languages and are cooperating with GKK, which means that if you have European Insurance, the fees should be covered.
You can find several doctors in Graz on these websites: medical association of Styria, docfinder (Austrian doctor finder with experience reports)
Make sure that the doctor you choose cooperates with the GKK insurance company - private doctors have to be paid by yourself! The easiest way might be asking your buddy for any recommendations. At the end of this page you can find two useful documents: A list of doctors who cooperate with the GKK insurance company and speak English; and an instruction document on how to find doctors who speak foreign languages in general.
If you need medical help beyond the regular opening hours, please contact the emergency medical service in Graz: Marbuger Kai 51, 8010 Graz; phone number: 141; opening hours: 7 p.m. -07 a.m. every day and whole-time on weekends and holidays. They can also visit you at home if you are not able to go there by yourself. However, if anybody is between life and death, please call the emergency call 144 immediately!!
Hospitals:
Landeskrankenhaus Graz (LKH), Auenbruggerplatz 1, phone number: +43 (0)316 3850
way: tram line 7, ultimate station “St. Leonhard/ LKH”
Landeskrankenhaus Graz West (LKH West), Göstingerstraße 22, phone number: +43 (0)316 54660
way: tram line 1, ultimate station “Eggenberg/UKH”
Unfallkrankenhaus Graz (UKH), Göstingerstraße 24, phone number: +43 (0)316 5050, specialized in injuries caused by accidents
way: tram line 1, ultimate station “Eggenberg/UKH”
Landesnervenklinik Sigmund Freud (LSF), Wagner Jauregg Platz 1, phone number: +43 (0)316 21910, psychiatric clinic
way: bus line 32 or 64, station “Wagner Jauregg Platz”
A list of pharmacies can be found here. If a doctor prescribes medication for you, you have to pay a small fee at the pharmacy (currently 5,55€, 7/2015).
