Posted by Michael Wonder on 07 Aug 2017
Health insurance demands robust rethink to restore value for consumers
7 August 2017 - Widespread and growing community frustration with the cost and inadequacies of private health insurance oblige the Federal Government to initiate a thorough investigation into its value, the Consumers Health Forum said today.
In a submission to the Senate inquiry into health insurance and out of pocket costs, the Consumers Health Forum has called for a Productivity Commission inquiry into the benefit of government involvement in the private health insurance sector, and for a public interest test to measure whether this public investment is in the overall, long-term interest of Australia’s taxpayers.
The submission challenges the premise of the current reform agenda --- to increase health insurance numbers --- when there are so many questions about its worth to consumers.
