Fee Quotes Trial For Hospitals
Illawarra Mercury
Monday November 3, 1997
More than 20,000 privately insured patients will become the first in Australia to receive a detailed quote of their out-of-pocket expenses before going into hospital, Federal Health Minister Michael Wooldridge said yesterday.
Public and private hospitals in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia will be involved in the trial of simplified billing for day surgery and overnight stays, Dr Wooldridge said.
"One of the real complaints about private health insurance is the fact that you can't find out before your treatment how many bills you'll receive or how much you'll have to pay from your own pocket after Medicare and your private insurance have paid their benefits," Dr Wooldridge said.
Under the plan, all estimated costs will be totalled before admission so the patient has a clear idea of his out-of-pocket costs.
After discharge, the hospital will co-ordinate the bills, claim the payments from Medicare and the patient's health fund and then issue one combined statement to the patient.
"This means consumers will know before they go into hospital the size of their out-of-pocket costs," Dr Wooldridge said.
© 1997 Illawarra Mercury