ADDRESSING cost and access barriers for regional patients must be a focus of the government's review into Australia's private health insurance (PHI) sector, according to the Rural Doctor's Association of Australia (RDAA).
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More than 13 million Australians have some form of basic health cover, and the federal government is encouraging Australians to share their views on private health insurance in a nation-wide survey.
RDAA president Dr Ewen McPhee said a review is necessary, to ensure the sustainability of Australia's private health system as it's role in the overall health landscape changes.
"We certainly have a health system which is burgeoning under the weight of more chronic disease and people with diabetes and other conditions, we also have an aging population as well," Dr McPhee said.
"We've got private health insurers who are struggling to manage the costs associated with delivering on their products."
Dr McPhee has called for the review to look closely at the cost and access barriers that are preventing many rural and remote Australians from fully benefitting from private healthcare.
"Delivering value for money in PHI to rural and remote Australians would be a very positive development, as many country Australians simply cannot afford the rising cost of private health insurance," Dr McPhee said.
"Rural and remote patients face a double-whammy - not only do many rural patients find PHI simply unaffordable, but those who do have PHI are often significantly under-served by a lack of access to private healthcare services in their local towns and regions."
The private health system should play a larger role in preventative health into the future, and complement the public system by reducing costs and patient loads, Dr McPhee said.
He said many consumers choose to access, under private health insurance, services like obstetrics, colonoscopies, endoscopies, radiology and general surgery at their local hospital.
"Being able to access these services locally in rural communities also has a critical flow-on effect in helping to retain a community's rural generalist and specialist doctor workforce, while also taking pressure off the large regional hospitals and metropolitan hospitals by reducing their patient loads," Dr McPhee said.