| Publication: | news.com.au |
|---|---|
| Date: | 20 May 2009 |
| Section: | Money |
Article excerpt:
PRIVATE health fund premiums could skyrocket by an extra $230 a year as health ministers debate whether insurers should pay the full cost when their members use a public hospital bed. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon says it's time to look at whether health funds should have to increase the amount they pay when their members use a public hospital bed.
Health funds currently pay just $310 a day when their members use a public hospital bed, that's a discount of up to $490 on the true cost of providing such a bed, a spokeswoman for NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher said. But health funds claim if they had to pay the full cost for a bed it would drive up premiums.
