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Increasing transparency to reduce out-of-pocket health costs February 19, 2019

HCF medical director Dr Andrew Cottrill says increasing transparency around out of pocket costs will arm patients with the information they need to make informed choices.

This is not a legal issue, it is about a written, signed and stated commitment August 29, 2018

Using legal advice as virtually the only basis for a response to a political problem is as close you are ever going to get to completely pointless.

Political debate masks truth about affordability April 5, 2018

The irony is that both major parties, having acted in government to explicitly increase the cost of private health insurance, now actively seek to disown and blame others for the consequences of their policies.

Just because you have 'consumer' in the name March 14, 2018

How can any organisation lament the affordability of private health insurance while calling for it to be more expensive? The Consumers Health Forum has again, in a single sentence, bemoaned...

Who really represents consumers in this debate? February 8, 2018

If as an organisation you oppose the rebate, argue for its abolition and the consequent massive spike in premiums, how with a straight face can you complain about affordability?

So, what was all that about? February 1, 2018

The private health sector is still scratching its head after Bill Shorten's fierce but ultimately equivocal address to the National Press Club.

More expensive is ok, but only some of the time January 30, 2018

For some, increased spending on programs like Medicare and public hospitals is an 'investment' while any increase in premiums is an outrage.

Old and new challenges for Greg Hunt in 2018 December 19, 2017

As always, next year's rise in private health insurance premiums will probably be the first health story of the year, but it will simply be a precursor to the fight over new hospital funding agreements with the states and territories.

An unfortunate contribution November 28, 2017

The shark has officially been jumped with the report from Morgan Stanley arguing Australians should dump their private health insurance.

Helping keep premiums affordable for Australians for almost two decades September 21, 2017

According to Dr Rachel David, CEO of Private Healthcare Australia, the private health insurance rebate has been helping keep premiums affordable for Australians for almost two decades.

One of the least surprising announcements August 24, 2017

Maybe the best way to judge someone's legacy is whether they leave an organisation in better shape than when they started.

Welcome to the first edition of HealthDispatch August 17, 2017

It seems public debate on the private health sector, and not least government's private health insurance rebate, more often reflects the ideological positions of some stakeholder groups than any objective assessment of the issues.

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