Private Health Improvements

Australia’s health system is one of the best in the world – a unique mix of public and private health care designed to make sure all Australians are well covered for their needs.

But with an ageing population, the increasing cost of caring for more people with chronic conditions, and continuing medical improvements, the demands on our health system are going up and up. Medicare is the basis of our public health system. It is a first-class scheme. But it was never meant to meet these demands on its own.

Private health insurance also plays a key role in covering the needs of Australians. In fact, around 38% (more than a third) of all hospital treatments are performed through private health cover. If private health insurance was not there, there would be a huge pressure on Medicare. We need a balanced, viable health care system, with public and private cover working together.

And this is why the Australian Government is making important improvements to the private health insurance rules to:

• Make it easier to compare what the different private health funds offer
• Extend the range of services your hospital policy can cover
• Reward you for taking out and keeping private health insurance

Tags: Healthcare System, private health, private health insurance,