Private health insurance reforms: impact of the psychiatric care waiting period exemption policy
Catherine Keating A , Sarah Rowley
A C and Andrew Wilson B
A Medibank, Level 2, 720 Bourke Street, Docklands, Melbourne, Vic. 3008, Australia. Email: catherine.keating@medibank.com.au
B Medibank, Level 11, 259 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia. Email: andrew.wilson@medibank.com.au
C Corresponding author. Email: sarah.rowley@medibank.com.au
Australian Health Review 45(4) 519-520 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH20357
Submitted: 15 December 2020 Accepted: 15 December 2020 Published: 2 March 2021
Abstract
Younger people are more likely to experience incident mental health conditions and hold lower levels of private health insurance coverage. Government reforms introduced in 2018 enabled customers to avoid 2-month waiting periods to access mental health hospital care. Effectiveness in reducing time to admission is assessed.
References
[1] Department of Health. Supporting Mental Health – waiting period exemption for higher benefits. Canberra: Department of Health; 2018. Available from: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-privatehealth-supporting-mental-health#:~:text=Two%20months.,higher%20benefits%20for%20psychiatric%20care [verified August 2020].[2] Department of Health. Statistics – Private health insurance reform data quarterly reports. Canberra: Department of Health; 2020. Available from: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/private-health-insurance-reform-data-quarterly-reports [verified August 2020].
[3] Independent Hospital Pricing Authority. ICD-10-AM/ACHI/ACS current edition. Sydney: IHPA; 2020. Available from: https://www.ihpa.gov.au/what-we-do/icd-10-am-achi-acs-current-edition [verified September 2020].
