Sick or injured Australians may have to pay more in up-front costs at hospitals as patients become a bargaining chip in negotiations between two multi-billion-dollar medical firms.Bupa customers will likely face higher up-front costs at Ramsay facilities after October 2Hospital giant Ramsay Health Care formally ended its long-standing deal with private health insurer Bupa and its 3.9 million members on August 2 when the pair failed to agree on hospital costs for patients.
Sunshine Coast Local Medical Association president Roger Faint said he was already having to comfort and advise patients in similar situations to Ms Havriluk, who were feeling lost because of the stalemate between the two giant health companies.Dr Faint said they could need to look further afield. "I think people around the country who have private health insurance are looking at this with some trepidation and saying, 'Why are we in a situation where our health fund and our hospital can't agree on things,'" Professor Robson said.He said hospitals were under pressure with staff shortages and supply issues while insurers spent less because so many surgeries were cancelled.
Both companies are at fault. This what happens when you privatise health. It's NEVER about health. It's ALWAYS about PROFIT!!
Time to leave BupaAustralia then
Seems like it's time to leave Bupa if they are going to add more worries when someone is going thru a difficult time in a hospital.
Its frustrating that Bupa does not give good coverage to every hospital, Dentist and other medical services. Private health cover was promoted to give patients choice, not to get lower costs at Bupa etc approved places
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