Why your health insurance is useless
A quarter of cancer patients had to pay out of pocket expenses of more than $10,000 because health funds and Medicare rebates did not cover the full cost of treatment a survey has found.
The Consumer’s Health Forum, which conducted the survey of 1200 people, has found that significant out of pocket expenses are becoming the norm for many patients.
They say high fees charged by surgeons and inadequate cover by health funds is undermining the private health system.
One in four breast cancer patients, and more than a third for people with chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis, were paying out-of-pocket expenses of thousands of dollars.
One in six of those surveyed said the medical costs had a “significant impact” on their lives, and one-third of respondents said they were not fully informed of expenses before treatment.
In many cases, the survey found even those with private health insurance are incurring huge expenses.
“A concerning finding to emerge from the survey was that there is a perception among consumers that using PHI is more expensive than not using it,” the report says.
The report warns we are at risk of creating a “two tier system where your income determines your health care”.
The Forum’s chief executive, Leanne Wells, backed Labor’s call for a Productivity Commission report on private health insurance while launching the report at Parliament House on Thursday.
“What we found is that, in a nutshell, being sick in Australia these days is a very expensive business,” she said.