In the past two years, health funds have provided more than $270 million in financial assistance to private hospitals above and beyond their contracts to deliver services to health fund members. This is on top of the $1.5 billion provided by the Federal Government to assist

In a big win for consumers, about 11,000 specialist doctors will be obliged to publish their fees on the Government's Medical Costs Finder website. Following a long-running campaign by Australian health funds and patient groups, Mark Butler MP announced doctors must disclose

An analysis of data from the past 10 years shows there was a 12% rise in out-of-pocket fees for private medical care in 2023. We need more transparency & stronger laws to protect people from inappropriate medical billing.

The average claims ratio for private health insurance has barely moved over the past 20 years. It has consistently been around 84-86% with the exception of the pandemic period when it once reached 88%. Michael Smith Financial Review

Our private maternity system is not sustainable. We're calling for the Federal Government to introduce a new "bundled" model of maternity care that can be led by midwives, GPs, and obstetricians, with a fixed out-of-pocket cost. You can read more about our proposal in The

Depending on the procedure, it can be very risky to self-fund treatment in the private system, particularly if you experience complications and require intensive care, or a longer than expected hospital stay. Our data on health insurance claims shows some procedures, including

12.4 million Australians have health insurance with hospital cover as a safety net. Since 2020, an additional 1.4 million people have signed up for health insurance so they can get rapid access to healthcare if they need it.

Health funds welcome the reappointment of Mark Butler MP as Minister for Health and Ageing, and the reappointment of Emma McBride as Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. We also congratulate Rebecca White on her appointment as Assistant Minister for

Why Australia is not heading towards a US-style health system: 1️⃣ In Australia, only you and your doctor can make decisions about your medical treatment. 2️⃣ Health insurers cannot direct doctors or other health professionals such as psychologists or dentists to act against a

Medicare data shows initial specialist consultations have decreased 10% over the past five years despite a growing population. The rising cost to see some specialist doctors in the community is making healthcare less accessible for many Australians, including people investing in

Health insurers need a strong network of private hospitals across Australia to care for people with health cover when they need hospital care. The most recent data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority shows health insurance payments to hospitals for their members

Health insurers are delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in additional payments to private hospitals to help them through a challenging period of rising costs and a shift towards more technology driven out-of-hospital care. Following a request from Health Minister

Adding GST to private health insurance is a dangerous move that would cost Australians and our health system. This is one of the ideas being put forward ahead of next month's Economic Reform Roundtable. Not only would this policy impose an unnecessary cost on 15 million

Australians seeking healthcare in the private system have been slugged with a 9% surge in hospital out-of-pocket fees over the past year, driven largely by increased charges from medical specialists, new APRA data shows. The sharpest rise is in orthopaedic surgery, including

From January 2026, the ACT “Ambulance Levy” will rise by 10%, forcing more than 318,000 Canberrans with health cover to pay higher bills: $180 a year for singles $360 a year for families This is the wrong policy at the wrong time. Canberrans already face the highest GP and

ACT residents with health insurance are being charged excessive out-of-pocket costs for using their insurance in a public hospital. Our analysis reveals at least 30% of ‘private patients’ treated in ACT public hospitals in 2022-23 received bills ranging from $50 to over $9000.