In a letter to the health insurance industry in June, the industry regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, bluntly told the industry to stop looking to government to fix its problems, decrying the industry’s “complacent approach” and advising it to put its own house in order. Last week’s call by Private Healthcare Australia, the private health insurance industry lobby group, for another $1.2bn handout shows the message has not been heard. Private healthcare is currently subsidised to the tune of $9bn each year – $6bn through a government rebate that reduces the cost of private health insurance premiums, and a further $3bn for rebates against the cost of medical bills for private inpatients. The latest ask from the industry is on top of that. Tax break for employer-paid health cover a ‘handout’ for industry, critics say Read more The problems the industry faces are real. Young people don’t think […]