The Federal Government has announced plans to launch a national strategy to address excessive out-of-pocket fees charged by medical specialists. Following the release of a Ministerial Advisory Committee Report this month, the Government has proposed to fund a searchable website that provides transparency on specialists’ fees and an education campaign to promote medical financial literacy. The Government website will also publicise existing de-identified data showing a range of fees and out-of-pocket expenses charged by specialists for any given treatment, allowing patients to make informed choices. Click here to read Government’s official press release.
Although this initiative has been welcomed by both the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA), both organisations have identified serious gaps, highlighting the need for the website to provide additional information.
According to the AHHA, it is necessary to address ‘exorbitant’ and unexpected out-of-pocket costs charged by some specialists, which cause patients distress and financial hardship, particularly in the management of pregnancy, assisted reproductive services, radiation oncology and intraocular injections. In addition, the AHHA has emphasised the importance of disclosing the potential full costs of unanticipated ‘extras’, such as the costs of tests and other healthcare members, and a scale of out-of-pocket costs in advance. Read the AHHA’s media release here.
The AMA has stated that in order to offer patients real benefits, transparency must extend to the inclusion of Medicare and health insurance rebates for each procedure. The AMA has also criticised the low rebates provided under the Medicare Benefit Schedule and many health insurance policies. For more information on the AMA’s position, click here.