Thousands fast-track private mental health treatment after insurance reforms | Dana_Adele
shows more than 6300 people – most aged under 40 – upgraded their cover to get instant access to $73 million worth of mental health treatment in private hospitals over the 18 months to September 30.
Mental health patients need to have some form of hospital cover for two months to access the upgrade, which also applies to drug and alcohol treatment.More than 380,000 young people aged between 18 and 29 also received discounts of up to 10 per cent on their premiums under the second phase of the reforms put in place in April, aimed at halting the exodus of young Australians from private health insurance in what has been dubbed an industry "death spiral".
"For women aged 30 and under, a mental health hospital admission is the most likely reason they claim on their health cover after overtaking obstetrics ... For men, it's the second-highest reason behind sporting injuries and accidents."Independent public policy think tank the Grattan Institute will release a paper on Wednesday calling for a radical overhaul of the system to allow health funds to adjust premiums based on members' age until they turn 55.
"Premiums should be partially deregulated, with insurers free to charge younger people less than older people for the same level of coverage."
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