31
October
2018
|
12:04
Australia/Melbourne

Bupa’s new calculator reveals the average costs of hospital procedures, including childbirth

Patients will now be able to look up the average cost of a hospital medical procedure, such as a hip replacement or childbirth, and also the likely out-of-pocket medical fees they may face thanks to a new online calculator developed by Bupa.

Cindy Shay, Director of Bupa’s Health Partnerships and Innovation said the concern and confusion members expressed around how much a procedure may cost and what they will have to pay personally led to the development of the tool.

“We know that it’s common to undergo a medical procedure in hospital without knowing how much it will cost. We’ve heard our customers’ concerns and frustrations about unexpected fees and bill shock, and so we have created a calculator that will help inform our customers about the average cost of a hospital procedure,” Ms Shay said.

“This costs calculator will enable customers to have a far greater understanding about what their surgical or medical procedure will cost, and if they will be out-of-pocket. This calculator shifts the balance of power back towards customers in their discussions with doctors and hospitals,” Ms Shay said.

Cindy Shay, Bupa Director of Health Partnerships and Innovation
This is an important step in making Bupa more transparent and by sharing average costs and fees information with our customers we believe this will help reduce bill shock and the current uncertainty about how much hospital medical procedures cost in Australia.
Cindy Shay, Bupa Director of Health Partnerships and Innovation

“The costs calculator complements Bupa’s list of specialist doctors who are a part of our Medical Gap Scheme, which is another way Bupa is working to reduce out-of-pocket costs for our customers.

“This specialist doctor search tool shows not only which doctors are a part of Bupa’s Medical Gap Scheme, but also the percentage of cases in which they have charged a gap fee to our customers,” Ms Shay said.

Private health insurance in Australia can only cover doctors’ fees for hospital and day surgery medical procedures. This means that medical appointments with a GP, obstetrician or orthopaedic surgeon in the lead up to a surgery cannot be covered by health insurance and are therefore not included in this calculator tool.

Take me to the calculator tool.

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