Sussan Ley
The Federal Coalition has promised that if re-elected it will ensure Australians living in rural and remote communities can get access to a level of private health insurance better suited to people living outside a metropolitan area.
“We want to ensure Australians living in regional areas receive better value for money through our private health reforms,” Health Minister Sussan Ley said.
“We also want to ensure people in country Australia are paying for services they can actually access and will use.
“For example, the long distances often travelled for both basic and specialist health care, combined with the higher-risk nature of rural work, makes ambulance and travel costs a priority in some communities.
“In regional areas there is also higher importance given to innovative and emerging technologies such as tele-health and remote monitoring, as well as access to local allied and primary health care services supported by private health insurers, such as optometrists, dentists, physiotherapists and weight management.
“These issues were reflected in the 40,000 responses to our consumer survey, in which about three-quarters of Australians living in rural or remote communities believed they were not receiving value for money from their private health insurance, compared to 68 per cent in our major cities.
“This is a worry when combined with the fact the cost of private health insurance was considered the biggest concern for Australians living in rural and remote communities.”
Ms Ley said a re-elected Turnbull Government would “work with rural health and consumer groups, private health insurers and other key stakeholders to develop a private health insurance product designed specifically for Australians living in rural and remote areas”.
“Our Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee will be tasked with developing this product as a priority, together with other reforms that will give consumers better access to standard levels of coverage, easier to understand policies and fine print, standardised medical procedure definitions and single medical bills,” she said.
