New statistics released by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority show a fall in the number of people with private health insurance as the sector highlights consumer concerns over affordability.
The statistics reveal 46.1 per cent of the population had hospital cover for the year ended 2017, down from 46.8 per cent in 2016.
The number of people with hospital cover fell from 11.329 million to 11.319 million over the same period.
The number of Australians with hospital cover fell by almost 25,000 in the three months to June.
“Where is the Government’s so-called reform of private health insurance that they took to the election?” asked Shadow minister for health and Medicare Catherine King.
“Twelve months on, Malcolm Turnbull hasn’t delivered a thing to help increase understanding or transparency.
“Meanwhile, Australians are paying more out of their hip-pocket, finding it harder to navigate the system, and as this data shows, many are dropping their coverage altogether.”
In an interview published in HealthDispatch today, CEO of Private Healthcare Australia, Dr Rachel David, says affordability is the number one issue for consumers with private health insurance.