| Publication: | news.com.au |
|---|---|
| Date: | 17 December 2008 |
| Section: | Money Matters |
Article excerpt:
FAMILIES face health premium rises of more than $200 next year as insurers try to claw back rising costs. Major funds will apply to Health Minister Nicola Roxon today to lift premiums by 6.5-7.3 per cent. States were given a 7.3 per cent increase to run public hospitals in the latest five-year Australian Health Care Agreement, signed last month.
Private insurers will use that figure as a starting point for their own claims, arguing private hospitals face similar cost pressures. They will also rely on the health services index, which measures movements in health costs.
... Ms Roxon has already warned she will take a dim view of health funds that use the change to push for steep premium rises. "We have made absolutely clear to the private health insurance funds that we will not regard favourably any requests that are based on the removal or changing of the threshold of the Medicare levy surcharge," she said.
