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DARK SECRETS: Yuting zhang | Rare Historical Photos

How to make specialists’ fees fair? It’ll take more than a revamped website

Consumers will soon have a clearer picture of how specialists’ fees compare if legislation before parliament is passed.

The Conversation

Australian health insurance premiums just had their biggest hike in a decade. Is it time to scrap private health cover?

Government incentives continue to drive people to take out cover merely to avoid tax penalties

The Guardian - AU

No control, no regulation. Why private specialist fees can leave patients with huge medical bills

Seeing a private specialist increasingly comes with massive gap payments. On average, out-of-pocket fees to see a specialist amount to about $300 a year. But many spend hundreds on each appointment.

The Conversation

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
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When a partner has a health shock, our study shows what happens to work, chores and fun

A serious illness or injury to a family member is more than a medical crisis. It’s a health shock that triggers a ripple effect, forcing families to make difficult trade-offs with their time and money.

The Conversation

Private health insurers want to fund more out-of-hospital care. But the Productivity Commission has other ideas

Australia needs to do better at preventing health conditions from arising and worsening, according to an interim report on delivering quality care more efficiently released overnight by the Productivity Commission.

The Conversation

Will my private health insurance cover my surgery? What if my claim is rejected?

The Australian Competition Consumer Commission (ACCC) has fined Bupa A$35 million for unlawfully rejecting thousands of health insurance claims over more than five years.

The Conversation

One million Australians missing specialist doctor appointments due to cost, report finds

Grattan Institute finds one in 10 Australians now paying $600 a year for specialist appointments

The Guardian - AU

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Cheaper complementary health treatments are on the way

In an election promise gone under the radar, the federal government announced it would subsidise complementary health treatments but how effective are they?

AAP

More Australians can’t afford specialist fees. Experts say it’s ‘not in the spirit of Medicare’

Exclusive: Report finds rebates not keeping up with specialist fee rises and experts say soaring number of people putting off care is easy to understand

The Guardian - AU

Is the private hospital system collapsing? Here’s what the sector’s financial instability means for you

Toowong Private Hospital in Brisbane is the latest hospital to succumb to financial pressures and will close its doors next week. The industry association attributes the psychiatric hospital’s closure to insufficient payments from and delayed funding negotiations with private insurers.

The Conversation

Think your specialist is expensive? Look at what others are paying

Seeing a medical specialist can leave you with significant out-of-pocket costs. Yet political parties have not adequately addressed this in their pre-election bids.

The Conversation

Australians can wait at least 258 days for their first psychiatry appointment, our new study shows

Anyone who needs to make their first appointment with a psychiatrist may expect a bit of a wait. Our new research shows Australians are waiting an average 77 days for this initial appointment. But some were waiting for at least eight months.

The Conversation

The major parties want 9 in 10 GP visits bulk billed by 2030. Here’s why we shouldn’t aim for 100%

Unaffordable GP visits has become a pressing issue amid the increasing cost-of-living crisis. About 30% of Australians delayed or didn’t see a GP in 2023–24.

The Conversation

Private health insurers are now offering GP telehealth services. Is this a risk to Medicare?

Australia’s second-largest private health insurer, Bupa, has recently started offering its members three free GP telehealth consultations a year. This follows other insurers such as nib offering its members digital GP consults, for things like prescriptions and medical certificates, for a fee.

The Conversation

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The Conversation

We found opposition to the Voice is linked to poorer Indigenous health. And in some regions, the link is striking

A majority of Australians voted “no” to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. But if we dig deeper into the data from the 2023 referendum, there is more to learn, especially about the health of Indigenous Australians living in communities with strong opposition to the Voice.

The Conversation

Stigma around same-sex marriage affected Australians’ health. Here’s what happened in your electorate

Community-level opposition to marriage equality and the stress that came with it is still making some Australians in same-sex relationships sick years after the vote, our study suggests.

The Conversation

Australia can afford to bulk bill all GP visits. So why don’t we?

Being able to afford health care is a pressing issue for many Australians. And encouraging GPs to bulk bill is one measure the government is taking to ease the strain.

The Conversation

Who really benefits from private health insurance rebates? Not people who need cover the most

The Australian government spends A$6.7 billion a year on private health insurance rebates. These rebates are the government’s contribution towards the costs of individuals’ premiums.

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The Conversation

Does private health insurance cut public hospital waiting lists? We found it barely makes a dent

The more people take up private health insurance, the less pressure on the public hospital system, including shorter waiting lists for surgery. That’s one of the key messages we’ve been hearing from government and the private health insurance industry in recent years.

The Conversation

Private health insurance is set for a shake-up. But asking people to pay more for policies they don't want isn't the answer

Private health insurance is under review, with proposals to overhaul everything from rebates to tax penalty rules.

ABC News

Private health insurance premiums are going up from June 1 — should you keep it?

Thinking about taking up private health insurance — or giving it up? Here are some things to consider.

The Conversation

The price of PBS medicines is coming down. But are we helping the right people?

Some Australians will be paying less for prescription medicines from January, in a move announced this week and designed to ease cost-of-living pressures.

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