Out‐of‐pocket fees for health care in Australia: implications for equity

Out‐of‐pocket health care expenses for people with and without cancer, New South Wales, 2020: a cross‐sectional study

“…Other studies have included a broader range of cost types, but were limited to selected cancer types or a single rural area 6‐8 . Nevertheless, some studies have reported very high out‐of‐pocket health care costs 9,10 that could lead to inequities in health care, particularly if timely access to all treatment options is available only to people with adequate financial resources 11 . More comprehensive population‐wide information on out‐of‐pocket costs and their relationship with patients’ characteristics is needed.…”

What is the future of universal health coverage in Australia?

“…Research by Liu and colleagues 11 identifies how out‐of‐pocket costs for radiation oncology services in New South Wales vary considerably according to geography, with some patients incurring very high costs that might act as a barrier to access. In a perspective, Callander 12 points out that across Australia, 15% of all expenditure on health care comes directly from individuals in the form of out‐of‐pocket fees, a situation that undermines equity and leads patients to avoid care. Proposed options for reducing affordability barriers to health care access include increasing subsidies paid through Medicare, expanding Medicare to cover additional areas such as dental care, and increasing the volume of outpatient specialist care through public hospitals.…”

Adoption of out-of-pocket cost caps: an Australian perspective

“…Having private health insurance offers no assurance of complete coverage, with 56% of private patients still paying OOP costs to providers. 3 Additionally, government subsidisation of private health insurance premiums causes substantial transfer of public health expenditure in the form of private health insurance and private care subsidies to more affluent health consumers since they have the financial capacity to pay private health insurance premiums. 3 Inflationary healthcare prices have also become a challenge.…”

“…3 Additionally, government subsidisation of private health insurance premiums causes substantial transfer of public health expenditure in the form of private health insurance and private care subsidies to more affluent health consumers since they have the financial capacity to pay private health insurance premiums. 3 Inflationary healthcare prices have also become a challenge. SafetyNets have been shown to make consumers less sensitive to the fees charged by providers, enabling providers to raise their fees without the potential for reduced demand for services.…”