Private health giant Medibank will become the first insurer to make public specific information about the potential out-of-pocket costs doctors charge for common procedures and surgeries. Consumer groups and health policy experts say it is a small but positive move towards greater transparency around out-of-pocket medical costs, but say more information, including surgeon performance data, needs to be made public for patients to be fully informed about their health care. Since August 2018, Medibank’s ‘Find A Provider’ website has shown how often a specialist charges an out-of-pocket cost by percentage of claims, but the website now includes this information for specific, common hospital procedures too. Customers can choose what type of specialist they’re looking for, the suburb they’re looking in, and a list of those specialists within a specified kilometre radius will be generated. Experts agree private health insurance is broken. But how can it be fixed? Read more […]