Thousands of patients face massive rises in out-of-pocket costs at Australia’s largest not-for-profit health services provider after major insurer NIB shut the door on funding agreement negotiations.
St Vincent’s chief executive Chris Blake said NIB refused to make a fair offer that recognised the rising costs of providing hospital care, leaving St Vincent’s no choice but to end the agreement that would affect thousands of patients.Failure to reach an agreement means NIB-insured patients who book procedures or treatments after October 3 face paying hundreds if not thousands more, including chemotherapy and cancer surgery.
“Running hospitals is one of the most expensive activities in the country now … it is a national embarrassment that health insurers are strangling off funding just when we have a public hospital crisis where waiting lists for planned surgery is at unprecedented levels.”Patients who have started or scheduled their procedure or treatment before October 3 will still be covered under transitional agreements.
Dr Paul Jansz, a cardiothoracic surgeon at St Vincent’s public and private hospitals in Darlinghurst, said private patients no longer fully covered will be pushed to the already overburdened public system.