Media Releases

Health insurers are calling on the Government to exempt Australians aged over 65 on low incomes — including those on the Age Pension — from changes to the Private Health Insurance Rebate, warning the move could force vulnerable people to drop their cover.

The Government’s decision to cut the Private Health Insurance Rebate will disappoint thousands of older Australians, says Dr Rachel David, CEO of Private Healthcare Australia.

New national data reveals Australians rely on private hospital care at every stage of life – from neonatal intensive care for newborns, mental health treatment for young adults, and joint replacements that help older Australians stay independent.

The rising cost of Gold health insurance policies highlights the deeper challenges Australia’s health system is facing as the population ages and the cost of delivering care continues to soar.

Health insurance premiums will rise by an average of 4.41% from April 1, reflecting rising claims and higher costs of delivering healthcare.

Private Healthcare Australia has welcomed the Federal Government’s legislation to upgrade the Medical Costs Finder website, saying it is a critical step toward tackling Australia’s growing specialist fee crisis.

Australians are demanding urgent action to curb rising medical specialist fees which are forcing a growing number of people to delay or abandon vital medical care.

Australian private health insurers have returned almost $4.8 billion to members in claims savings and givebacks since the Covid-19 pandemic, independent figures released today show.

Health insurers paid out a record $9.4 billion in ‘high claims’ for hospital treatment exceeding $10,000 in 2024, a new analysis of health fund data shows.

Australians are facing soaring medical bills for common private hospital procedures, with some costing nine times more than they did five years ago, data from Private Healthcare Australia (PHA) shows.

Data on private hospital licenses and expansions shows Australia’s private mental health sector is continuing to expand.

ACT residents with private health insurance are being hit with excessive out-of-pocket costs for opting to use their insurance in a public hospital.

Canberrans with health insurance will be slugged $180 a year from January – or $360 for families – after the ACT Government quietly increased its so-called ‘ambulance levy’ in this year’s Budget.

Australians seeking healthcare in the private sector 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, data from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) shows.

The Australian Government should ban the use of spinal cord stimulators for pain after research reveals one-in-three people are having revision surgery for complications that can end up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Health funds have welcomed a legislative change today that will allow rebates to be paid for a range of natural therapies clinical treatments.

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.

The rising cost to see some specialist doctors in the community, such as psychiatrists, obstetricians and cardiologists, is decimating demand for private hospitals and undermining the value of health insurance for 15 million Australians.

Medicare data shows the number of Australians consulting medical specialists in the community has fallen 10% over the past five years as some doctors charge more than $900 for a first appointment.

More health fund members will be able to access funded group exercise from April 1 thanks to a change to the schedule of services provided by accredited exercise physiologists.