Private Hospitals Lose $1 Billion Benefits.

TIm Williams provides some interesting perspective on private health care in Australia.CANBERRA, August 15, 2003 (cha.org.au): Today’s release of the latest private health insurance statistics reveals the steady decline in the share of payments to hospitals since the introduction of the 30 percent health insurance rebate.

” Although private hospitals are being asked to do more elective surgery and reduce public hospital pressures, they have slipped back to the proportion of benefits they received at the end of 1992″,

Catholic Health Australia’s CEO Francis Sullivan says. ….. “Since the introduction of the 30 percent rebate over $1 billion of benefits have been lost to direct hospital payments. …  Governments should act to correct this decline because a sustainable private hospital sector is crucial to the role of a pressure valve release for public hospitals. ”   

READ FURTHER  (Note: PDF File)