Media Releases

NSW residents with private health insurance are being hit with excessive out-of-pocket costs for opting to use their insurance in a public hospital. In some cases, these bills are exceeding $10,000.

The NSW Government must abandon its plan to tax 4 million people contributing to their own healthcare via health insurance in NSW. These people are taking pressure off the state’s overwhelmed public hospital system which has the highest wait times for surgery in Australia.

Allowing tens of thousands of people to drain their superannuation for medical and dental treatment each year is driving up costs for all consumers and should be stopped, the peak body for health funds says.

Australians with health insurance will not lose access to private hospitals, despite a scare campaign launched today by Healthscope and its private equity owner, Brookfield, to mislead consumers.

Health fund payments to hospitals surged 8% over the past year as an increasing number of Australians turned to private hospitals for rapid access to care, including elective surgery.

Doctors should be legally obliged to report adverse events involving medical devices to the Therapeutic Goods Administration to help protect patients from harmful products and procedures.

Private Healthcare Australia (PHA) congratulates retiring nib Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Mark Fitzgibbon on his outstanding contribution to the private health insurance industry and to improving healthcare options for Australians over more than two decades.

Obstetricians are charging some of the highest out of pocket fees of all doctors in Australia – this is the major barrier to people choosing private maternity services, the peak body for health funds says.

“In a cost of living crisis and with health expenditure increasing unsustainably, the commitment of our Federal Members of Parliament to the prevention and better management of diabetes should be applauded. Changes to ensure we are investing in the right things to keep people well and out of hospital are well overdue.  The time to act is now,” said Dr David.

The Australian Government must urgently investigate why ACT residents are paying at least 50 percent more in out of pocket costs than consumers living in other parts of the country.

Allowing thousands of Australians to drain their superannuation for dental care is driving up the cost of dentistry for all consumers and should be stopped, the peak body for health funds says.

Half of all Australians continue to rely on private health insurance for quality care, greater access and control over the timing of their treatment.  Over 14.8 million people now have private health cover.

The Federal Government’s decision to wind-back the planned removal of general use items from the Prescribed List of Medical Devices and Human Tissue (PL) on 1 July is likely to impact the cost of private health insurance premiums for 15 million Australians.

Private Healthcare Australia (PHA) is calling for the immediate recall and suspension of spinal cord stimulators to protect public safety, pending an investigation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

An investigation by ABC Four Corners into spinal surgery has exposed serious risks to patients and the shocking extent of fraud, waste and abuse in Australia’s ‘back pain industry’.

Health fund premiums will rise by an average 3.03% this year, much lower than inflation. Premium increases for other insurance types have surged by up to 16%.

Australian health funds paid a record $23.6 billion for healthcare in 2023 as claims by health funds members hit a new high, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.

A report on the front page of ‘The Australian’ newspaper suggesting the health insurance industry is in a ‘war of words with Mark Butler’ and in ‘fear’ about the timing of the premium announcement is false.

All specialist doctors’ fees should be published on the Government’s Medical Cost Finder website so consumers know who is charging egregiously, the peak body for health funds says.

Private Healthcare Australia CEO Dr Rachel David said a successful universal health scheme requires a strong and vibrant private scheme to increase funding for healthcare, promote equity, provide choice and ensure that the most vulnerable Australians are able to access care.