The proposed cut to the Private Health Insurance (PHI) Rebate has angered older Australians, with many concerned about their ability to maintain their cover and their access to private health care.
No issue has united the NSA community more.
Reader Poll
Read on to the end of this article to see our reader poll and let us know, how much would your premium have to increase (in a single year) before you would consider dropping private health insurance?
In a poll of more than 5,400 Connect readers, 91% opposed the rebate cut to fund aged care reform and more than 3,000 people have joined our Health Costs campaign in less than six weeks.
Before the proposal was announced by Aged Care Minister, Sam Rae, National Seniors Australia (NSA) had already undertaken research and raised your concerns around private health insurance affordability (and value) to help bring about an independent review into the private health system. In fact, we had consistently called for an increase, not a decrease in the rebate for lower income seniors in previous budget submissions !
We know from our past NSA surveys that out-of-pocket costs and the cost of private health insurance are significant concerns for older people. That is why we continue to call for a Productivity Commission review of the entire private health system, to lift the lid on rising health costs.
When the Treasurer, Dr Jim Chalmers, confirmed the government’s intention to cut the rebates in the 2026 Federal Budget, NSA was well armed with the necessary evidence to support our call on parliament to reject the proposal – which we did!
Our report on private health insurance has been referenced as one of the few sources of public data on PHI take-up among older people (and was recently referenced in Senate estimates!).
We continue to reinforce our call to reject this proposal by being involved in important political discussions and leading equally important public conversations.
What is NSA doing to advocate against the cuts to PHI?
Ongoing meetings with Federal MPs and Senators at Parliament House to put forward your views directly – we have the ear and support of Senator Anne Ruston and Independents such as Rebekha Sharkie, who are fierce opponents of the PHI cuts. We have also met with representatives of the Australian Greens to put our case to them. We will also be sending a letter to every Federal MP and Senator outlining our opposition to the cut.
Participating in national TV, radio, and online media interviews – adding public pressure to the political work we’re doing behind closed doors.
We developed our Private Health Insurance Rebate estimator to show the likely impact on your current policy and to encourage people to sign up to the campaign.
To complement our campaign sign-up process, we have also created a petition to give people another way to show their support for our campaign – there’s weight and power in numbers! You can help spread the word by sharing our Facebook post with your friends and family.
We are working with an alliance of organisations, including private hospitals and insurers, to oppose the change culminating in a joint letter to the Prime Minister and Minister for Health. The letter outlines our shared concerns for older people and the private and public health systems that support them.
