 |
Email the Society |
 |
Donations |
ME/CFS AUSTRALIA (SA) INC
Registered Charity 698
Mailing address:
GPO Box 383,
Adelaide,
South Australia 5001
Office:
266 Port Road,
Hindmarsh,
South Australia 5007
Ph: (08) 8346 3237
('834 MECFS')
Office Hours:
Wednesdays, 10am-3pm
Support Line:
(Mondays and Thursdays,
10am-3pm)
Ph: (08) 8346 3237
SA country callers:
Ph: 1300 128 339
(local call)
FIBROMYALGIA HELP: Contact Fibromyalgia SA at the Arthritis Foundation of SA 118 Richmond Road, Marleston 5033 Ph: (08) 8379 5711 |
ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc supports the needs of sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and related illnesses. We do this by providing services and information to members.
|
Disclaimer
ME/CFS Australia (SA) Inc aims to keep members informed of the various research projects, diets, medications, therapies etc. All communication, both verbal and written, is merely to disseminate information and not to make recommendations or directives.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed on this Web site are not necessarily the official views of the Society or its Committee and are not simply an endorsement of products or services.
| Become a Member | |||
|
Got private health insurance? Check this
May 8, 2006
It looks as if there could be some changes coming to private health insurance in Australia. The Consumers Health Forum is seeking feedback from consumers (you), according to its latest HealthUpdate.
Read on…
From the Secretariat
Changes to Health Insurance
Several changes to health insurance legislation that are important for health consumers were announced by the Minister for Health and Ageing and the Minister for Finance on 26 April 2006, along with the Government decision to introduce legislation that would permit the sale of Medibank Private. CHF has been giving input to the Minister’s Office and the Department of Health and Ageing about the need for consumers to have more say about private health insurance.
Independent Comparative Information About Health Insurance Products CHF welcomes the announcement that the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman will develop a website with comparative information about health insurance products to help consumers compare policies and understand their entitlements. The key features statements available have been complicated and difficult to understand, and the main source of information for consumers has been the marketing information provided by health funds themselves. CHF has given input over the last year that independent sources of information for consumers are needed and that these must be developed with and for consumers. Our focus is to ensure that consumers get a say about the comparative information and the communication strategies so that consumer networks know how to find and use the information.
Health Insurance Cover for Treatments Outside Hospitals
Hospital cover will expand to cover outpatient and out-of-hospital services as well as chronic care management for conditions such as diabetes and asthma. Private health insurers have been pushing for these sorts of reform and CHF was asked to comment on the concept at the Parliamentary Standing Committee for Health and Ageing Inquiry into Health Funding in 2006.
CHF is keen to hear from members about their needs for health insurance cover outside hospitals to inform our input to the legislation as it is drafted. It is important that the services covered are those that consumers need to improve their health outcomes, rather than those that seem more marketable to health funds. CHF has heard about consumers who have to go to hospital for treatments they could have through outpatient visits while they remained at home, because their health insurance would only cover the cost in hospital. However, CHF is also concerned about the impact of wider private health cover on availability of health services in the community and the protections that might be needed to ensure equitable and appropriate access.
Some of the suggested services are dental and optical services, dialysis, diabetes prevention and management programs, chemotherapy at out-patient clinics or in the home and existing ancillary services such as home nursing, domestic assistance, dieticians, physiotherapy and podiatry. The benefits will apply to services provided by suitably qualified and accredited health services providers. Medical services continue to be covered by Medicare and not by private health insurance.
Informed Financial Consent
Further announcements are flagged about work with AMA, insurers and hospitals to improve rates of Informed Financial Consent for private medical and hospital services. CHF has been explaining that many members have ongoing health problems and hold on to private health insurance as long as they can as they know they will need to go to hospital and want to keep their options open. For example, people with arthritis might want earlier access for ‘elective’ surgery such as joint replacements or an older person might want to go to hospital near home where their family can visit them.
We hear a lot of reports still about people who find out when they use their private health insurance that there can be quite substantial gaps in what is covered, and frustrated that although they have been stretching to keep up their payments, they still have more to pay than they can afford. CHF also advocated strongly for the release of a consumer survey the Department had commissioned that included data on the extent of the problems with informed financial consent.
For questions and answers and fact sheets about the Ministers’ announcement of greater choice in private health insurance products see http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/health-phi-fact26.htm. A link to the consumer survey is also included.
Previous Page |
