We are calling for targeted support for older Australians on low incomes and a broader review of private health insurance participation incentives to strengthen affordability, sustainability, and consumer choice across the health system.

We also call for reforms to protect consumer choice and improve the transparency of private health insurance products. We want to ensure proposed changes are supported by robust evidence and financial modelling to deliver value for consumers.

Our submission recommends a coordinated, long-term reform agenda that delivers better value and outcomes for our members, supports innovation and strengthens Australia’s private health system for the future.

Even though HITH delivers benefits for patients, current funding models make it harder for private patients to access HITH programs. Bupa is calling for practical reforms to expand access, including improved Medicare support for telehealth, clearer service standards, and funding models that reflect the way care is delivered at home.

By making HITH more accessible, we can give patients more choice, reduce pressure on hospitals, and ensure high-quality care is delivered in the most appropriate setting.

This model is impacted by recent telehealth changes that only allow for telehealth consultations to be billed to Medicare where there is an “established clinical relationship” with the practitioner. In our submission to the Senate inquiry into rural, regional and remote Medicare access and funding, Bupa called for practical, targeted reform to remove of the requirement for Nurse Practitioners to see Aged Care residents face-to-face every 12 months to be eligible for Medicare billing.

This change would allow nurse‑led care models to operate effectively, ensuring residents can access care when GP services are not available. For our residents, this reform is will mean faster access to care, fewer disruptions, greater continuity of care and better health outcomes.

The submission focuses on three priority areas:

• Securing a sustainable healthcare system through modern, innovative care models, greater transparency, and measures to keep private health insurance affordable.
• Ensuring access to quality care wherever people live, including strengthened primary care, a supported workforce and critical investment in regional aged care.
• Embedding prevention and early intervention, with regulatory reforms that enable private health insurers to fund more preventive services, expand access to mental health support, and integrate pharmacogenomic testing into routine care.

As one of Australia’s largest health care organisations, Bupa is committed to working with government and sector partners to deliver reforms that help people live longer, healthier, happier lives now and into the future.

In our submission, we emphasised the need for strong safeguards to ensure safe, appropriate prescribing, especially for higher‑risk medications, and the importance of nationally consistent regulation across states and territories. We also highlight the need for appropriate funding, training support, and Medicare arrangements so primary care, aged care and hospital providers can implement these reforms sustainably.

Bupa is committed to working with Government and the sector to ensure these reforms improve access while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality and continuity of care for all Australians.

The review of the Aged Care Rules provided Bupa with an opportunity to advocate for our residents. In our submission, we highlight the remove administrative burdens for older Australians entering care to ensure reforms enhance, rather than complicate, the care experience.

We also emphasise the urgent need for policy measures that support the long-term sustainability of the sector, including incentives to build the additional residential aged care capacity Australia will require as demand grows. Bupa remains committed to working with Government to deliver a high quality, person centred aged care system that supports the wellbeing of older Australians.

Genomics and pharmacogenomics are rapidly transforming healthcare, offering more personalised, preventive, and effective treatment pathways. Yet many Australians remain hesitant to pursue genetic testing due to concerns about how their data might be used. Strengthening protections in law will give people the confidence to engage with genomic testing helping detect risks earlier, guide safer prescribing, and improve long term health outcomes.

As a leading healthcare organisation, Bupa supports robust safeguards, clear privacy protections, and a regulatory environment that promotes innovation while upholding clinical independence and ethical standards. We are committed to ensuring genomic services remain accessible, safe, and beneficial for all Australians so the shift toward personalised healthcare is both equitable and trusted.

Key barriers to investment in regional areas include higher building and workforce costs, lower revenue potential and policy settings that direct capital toward metropolitan developments. These challenges can limit the availability of local care and place additional strain on families and the broader health system.

We have set out a range of reform options to help rebalance investment, including expanding capital funding programs, improving planning processes, introducing targeted financial incentives, and strengthening workforce pathways.

Targeted and coordinated reform will ensure that  older Australians can access high-quality aged care when and where they need it, now and into the future.

Bupa Asia Pacific CEO, Nick Stone said: “GPs are the backbone of our health system and it’s vital that Australians are able to access healthcare whenever and wherever they need it.

“We welcome initiatives that help ease cost of living pressures and provide timely and convenient access to healthcare, which we know can be real barriers for all Australians,” Mr Stone said.

“Being able to access doctors via telehealth at any time of the day helps take some pressure off busy hospital emergency departments while promoting preventative healthcare. We also know that general practice is under pressure in Australia and additional opportunities that increase flexibility for doctors are a key way to attract and retain GPs.”

Mr Stone said Bupa had already boosted its telehealth services with three 24/7 telehealth consults per policy for eligible health insurance customers as part of its digital health platform, Blua.

To date, 69% of Blua telehealth appointments have been resolved during initial consultations, with just 2% or less directed to emergency departments. Currently, more than 90% of all Blua consultations are carried out via video which enhances the quality and safety of interactions.

Mr Stone said: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has quickly become an established part of Australia’s health care system, making better use of practitioners’ and patients’ time.

“Usage patterns indicate Blua Online Doctors is increasing access to primary care out-of-hours and at times when patients might otherwise visit their local emergency department instead,” Mr Stone added.

For more information about Blua please click here.

These start-ups are at their Seed and Series A stage funding stages and are making important strides forward in preventative healthcare, genomics, in-home care and remote monitoring. Umps supports independence and wellbeing at home with proactive insights ​from in-home sensors, Eugene offers at-home medical-grade genetic testing and genetic counselling, while Vively Health has developed a wellness platform that helps people understand how lifestyle choices affect glucose levels in real-time. 

Bupa Asia Pacific Chief Customer and Transformation Officer, Danielle Handley, said these strategic investments in early-stage start-ups are important in advancing healthcare and enabling better health outcomes for both Bupa customers and the broader community. 

“While this is an initial investment, we see huge potential in these growing start-ups which share our strategic goal of enabling preventative healthcare that is more connected and customer centric.

“Despite our scale as an international health and care organisation, we know we cannot develop the future of healthcare on our own. That’s why we are excited to be able to leverage the creativity and agility of the start-up community while offering them working access to Bupa teams and resources with the ambition of piloting their offerings into our customer base,” Danielle said. 

Bupa has also recently conducted a pilot program with Vively Health which sees their Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) and app-based program subsidised for a target group of eligible Bupa Health Insurance members.

Bupa members participating in the pilot will receive a CGM device and app that monitors their glucose levels continuously. This data will be analysed to provide tailored health insights and lifestyle recommendations, supported by Vively’s team of dietitians and health coaches.

Vively Health CEO, Tim Veron, said partnering with Bupa allows them to grow their footprint and deepen its commitment to transforming healthcare from reactive to proactive. 

"We believe that everyone deserves access to tools that can help improve their health outcomes, and this pilot is a major step towards achieving that goal. We are really excited about what we can achieve together as part of this program and beyond,” Tim said. 

Bupa’s investment in its Ventures Fund builds on the success of its eco-Disruptive program which offered APAC start-ups funding to help develop solutions that created healthier and more sustainable societies as part of a global Bupa innovation competition.  

“Innovation isn’t just a gimmick or a side-focus for us, we are on a mission to connect care physically and digitally to remove barriers and increase affordability and convenience. It’s only through partnerships and collaboration across business, healthcare industry and government stakeholders that we can make this a reality,” Danielle said. 

Customer-facing programs with Umps and Eugene are also now being developed. 

 For more information about Bupa Ventures or to apply for funding read here.

Ongoing workforce shortages across the sector and the direct impact on residents and their families, including delays in accessing care and reduced availability of services in some communities. We need migration settings that better support essential care roles and help attract and retain skilled workers where they are needed most.

Bupa recommends targeted reforms to improve migration pathways for nurses and personal care workers, streamline visa processes, and create clearer pathways to permanent residency. We also recognise the importance of addressing broader challenges such as housing availability to support workforce growth in regional areas.

We also support the provision of additional funding to help address long stay challenges for older people transitioning from extended stays in hospitals into more appropriate aged care settings. Appropriate funding is critical to ensure the care of older Australians and the long-term sustainability of the aged care sector, and we look forward to continued action on this.

We welcome confirmation on the date of implementation of the new Aged Care Act, which provides the sector with certainty on how to prepare for these important changes.

Further modernisation of our health system through the continued investment in My Health Record will strengthen Australian’s world-class, mixed health care system. These improvements in digital health care will create a more connected health care experience with consumers at its centre. With ongoing cost of living challenges, we remain committed to ensuring our health system continues to deliver high quality, accessible and affordable care for all Australians.

The Government’s funding for mental health and support for women living with endometriosis is also a welcome commitment and a step in the right direction to help fast-track solutions to these critical health and wellbeing issues.

The pandemic led to Australians prioritising their health more than ever before, and we urge the Government to continue to prioritise reform in the private health sector to meet the changing health and wellbeing needs of Australians. Policy settings need to be updated so we can provide more value for customers, offer greater out of hospital care, and incentivise higher participation by younger people.

We look forward to working with the Federal Government and our partners across our sector to help implement these important reforms and continue to provide key healthcare services to our residents, customers, and the community.

Our submission emphasises the importance of clear and practical legislation that supports better outcomes for residents, while avoiding unintended impacts on access to care. We have identified the need for greater clarity in key definitions, balanced accountability settings and a regulatory approach that supports strong relationships between providers, residents and families.

We call on the Government to acknowledge that increased complexity, workforce pressures and rising costs could make it harder for older Australians to access care when and where they need it. We call for reforms that support workforce growth, ensure sustainable funding.

We have identified key priorities for reform, including improved recognition of higher costs in regional areas, more accurate indexation to reflect rising operating costs and funding models that support integration between aged care and the broader health system.

Aged Care 

As one of Australia’s leading aged care providers, we commend the Government’s commitment to fund the increase to Award wages for aged care workers. It is an important first step in appropriately recognising people who work in aged care for the important work they do and helps attract and retain people in the sector, particularly in regional areas.

The changes to migration rules announced today and the new Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements will help providers find much needed employees. We appreciate the Government’s decision to extend the current arrangements for student visa holders working in aged care. These are some positive steps towards mitigating the workforce shortages that the sector will continue to face, particularly in regional areas. 

We appreciate the Government’s decision to extend the current arrangements for student visa holders working in aged care. These are some positive steps towards mitigating the workforce shortages that the sector will continue to face, particularly in regional areas.

The substantial uplift in funding to the aged care sector will make significant progress in ensuring that funding covers the true cost of care. Appropriate funding is critical to the long-term sustainability of the aged care sector, given the increasing gap between what is expected of providers, and what is funded.

With the economy facing inflation of 7%, this funding increase will help alleviate some of the financial pressures facing many providers. We await further guidance from the Department of Health and Aged Care around the parameters of this funding, and look forward to continued progress to ensure the aged care sector can provide high quality care to a growing population, in a sustainable way.

Primary Health Care

We support the Federal Government’s vision for Medicare. There are encouraging signs that Medicare reform will enhance our primary healthcare system so that it is fit-for-purpose, improves accessibility and can ensure the best health outcomes for a modern Australia.

We welcome the opportunity for greater industry collaboration to give customers a stronger voice and continue to support our world-leading mixed health system.

Vaping reform

We welcome the Government’s provision of significant funding for tobacco and vaping reforms, and national lung cancer screening.

This investment will go towards discouraging people from taking up smoking and vaping and encourage more people to quit alongside additional support for the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program to help reduce vaping among First Nations people, and earlier detection of lung cancer.

These programs will also support the work of our health professionals across Australia who support patients to help them quit smoking and live healthier lifestyles.

However, the workforce challenges facing the aged care sector are far more severe in regional and rural Australia, and without immediate action, in addition to the wage increase, there are very real risks to the future of homes in communities outside major cities.

In regional Australia, aged care homes are critical parts of the community, economically and symbolically. Along with providing care and support to older Australians who have grown up or moved into the area or its surrounds, these homes contribute significantly to the local economy and employment and support local small business.

The sector-wide workforce shortage has now reached a tipping point where many regional homes are now declining new residents, not because they don’t have room, but because there simply aren’t enough people to properly care for them. This means many older Australians are increasingly going without care or are unnecessarily taking up hospital beds awaiting a place in residential care. Others have been forced to find homes far from where they would like to be, separating them from their families and community.

We’re also working with WomenCAN Australia to support women from vulnerable backgrounds in regional Australia to embark on a career in aged care with a paid traineeship and a guaranteed offer of employment at the end of their training. These are initiatives that we can put into practice, but we know they cannot address the wider challenges at play.

With the looming crisis in regional Australia, coordination across all levels of government is required.  

We should start by sending a clear signal that nurse-led care for older Australians is important and should be rewarded and recognised.  Due to differences in pay under relevant awards and enterprise agreements, aged care nurses can often earn significantly more across the road in a hospital. We need to value those working in aged care the same as those working in a hospital, and the simple way to do this is through pay parity.

An immediate solution is to create a new visa to fast-track approval for aged care workers and provide them with better pathways to permanent residency, as recommended by the Productivity Commission and similar to what has been done in Canada. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 skilled people are waiting for visas – many of these people would want to work in regional Australia.

We can also make it more attractive for people to have a second career in aged care. We can harness the working power of the four million Australians aged 65 and above by making small changes to the pension and tax system that would allow them to work more than one day a week without losing their pension. New Zealand has done this and seen the benefit for both its workers and its community. If Australia had the same 65+ workforce participation as New Zealand, we estimate we would have more than 10,000 more people in the aged care workforce.

Finally, we need to encourage people to move from the cities to the regions, such as wiping HECS debt for RNs and carers who commit to working long-term in regional Australia. In many regions, better access to affordable housing is also key, with post COVID migration from cities and growth in short-term rentals has meant that many essential workers are unable to access housing in many regional centres.

While there is no quick fix, we believe that greater partnership across all levels of government is critical can resolve these issues in regional Australia. This will go towards plugging the short-term gaps while laying a smoother foundation for the future to ensure as a society, we’re delivering the care older Australians and their families expect and deserve, now and into the future.

We agree this budget, which includes Australia’s first wellness budget on things like quality of life and our health, will need a steady approach to fundamentals and strategic spending to help manage inflationary pressures and steer the rebuilding of our economy. This can and should be accompanied by real, sustainable wellness measures to set our nation up for a healthy future. A future where investments in prevention have curbed the rising rates of chronic disease highlighted in the most recent Australian Census and our aging population is staying healthier for longer.

Australian household budgets are under growing pressure, and our public hospitals remain overburdened. We know that a strong private health system is a vital part of taking pressure off the public system and keeping it sustainable, so those who need it can access public care promptly Our private health sector is ripe for the consumer centred reforms that will help get us there, while making it more affordable, accessible and relevant.  We think there are two priority areas to focus on in this space – making it easier to fund preventative treatment, lifestyle and wellness products and broader availability of out of hospital care.

For example, allowing insurers to fund more care in community settings rather than in hospital to help free up hospital beds and reduce the incentives to medicalise treatment. Hospitals will always be the backbone of our medical system but reducing red tape would allow more preventative and out of hospital care to reflect modern care delivery and the increase in chronic illness.

Alternative models of care help reduce unnecessary costs and drive affordability. Currently, doing rehab at home instead of in hospital is about one third of the average cost of inpatient services. On average, in-hospital rehab costs about $9000, while in contrast, it costs about $3000 for rehab at home. For some patients it means they can receive the care they need in the comfort of their own home, while keeping a hospital bed free for someone else that needs it.

And although we know that increased wellbeing has physical benefits including lower cardiovascular disease, stroke, and sleep issues, there are restrictions on payment of benefits for certain lifestyle and wellness products under current laws.

Such policies also have intergenerational consequences. The participation of young and healthy customers in private insurance is key to the sustainability of the industry. But increasing costs and regulatory restrictions have made health insurance less relevant and less affordable for younger Australians.

Expanding the ability of health insurers to fund certain wellness and lifestyle products like gym memberships, fitness wearables which are relevant to younger people would help encourage price sensitive millennials to spend money on things that matter to them. It also empowers to help personalise their preventative health.

Encouraging young people to invest in their own health and wellbeing will help address disease burdens as people age, which will have a material impact on future health care costs. Obesity is one area that is having an increasingly significant impact on health care costs. We’re seeing this with surgeries for hip and knee replacements and major procedures in obesity being among Bupa’s top 10 most expensive claim items. Current cost of hip and knee replacements to the Australian healthcare system are $5.32 billion, of which $3.54 billion is attributable to the private sector. Total knee replacement is projected to rise by 276 per cent and total hip replacements by 208 per cent by 2030.

Increasing the attractiveness and perceived value of private health insurance for younger Australians means that affordability is increased for all members with a broader market from which to spread the risk and absorb the price associated with higher cost medical procedures for our ageing population.

As well as supporting the health and wellbeing of insured people, private health insurance also benefits those without cover through the reduction of public hospital waiting lists and minimising demand pressures on the public health system.

McKinsey research shows that even a 10 per cent drop in private health membership would see 1.5 million additional people becoming fully dependent on the public hospital system. That would increase waiting lists by 90 per cent and taxpayers would need to pay for an extra 3,600 hospital beds - equivalent to Australia’s four largest hospitals.

Having more younger people with private health cover to balance our mixed system and ease the pressure on public health and removing barriers to make private health insurance more affordable, simple and relevant to all Australians will translate to a healthier nation and healthcare system.

Firstly, some aspects of healthcare in this country are governed by dated regulations that haven’t kept pace with consumer preferences, including the focus on wellness and the rise in chronic disease. 

Arguably, since the launch of Medicare in 1984, there has not been substantial reform in healthcare. Back then, the life expectancy for a male, at birth, was 72.1 years and the system was designed largely around treating acute illness. Today, we are doing a great job keeping people alive longer, albeit with chronic conditions. A male born in 2020 can expect to live to 82.1 years – that’s an amazing 10 year improvement in less than four decades! 

To build upon our success to date, is it now time for us to consider the next wave of reform? 

Let’s take an area close to my heart, private health insurance, as an example: 

- Directly and indirectly, the sector contributes more than $61bn to the Australian economy each year and also adds to the wellbeing of nearly 50% of the population. 

- McKinsey found that a 10% drop in PHI membership would mean 1.5 million more people would become fully dependent on the public health system. Hospital waiting lists would increase by more than 90%; this is the equivalent of an additional 3,600 hospital beds or the capacity of our four largest hospitals. 

And yet, so often we hear about a lack of relevance and perceived value when it comes to private health insurance. 

As an organisation, our job is to deliver on our customers’ needs. The original Health Insurance Act was established in 1973, and today, health insurers continue to be constrained to largely funding health care for acute conditions in hospital settings. 

As I mentioned previously, this no longer meets the healthcare needs of today’s consumers. 

We must offer consumers a frictionless experience as they travel through the system; one that is integrated and therefore easy to navigate; and one that can address funding of preventative health programs as well as end-to-end care pathways. It will require a re-think of the rules and regulations that govern our sector, as well as a shift in our mindset. This is something we at Bupa have been advocating for some time now amongst policy-makers. 

We don’t need new regulators, but what we do need is a regulatory overhaul that addresses product relevance, particularly given our system of community rating which relies on the participation of young, healthy people to support generally older claimers. 

It is pleasing that over the past two years we’ve seen growth in health insurance participation in Australia, on the back of successive years of decline. My belief, however, is that the structural factors that were diminishing the value proposition for our young people pre-COVID have not changed, and over the medium-term, we will continue to see declines. 

To be attractive and relevant, we must have the ability to offer products that appeal to younger Australians. 

Our research found that 85% of millennials are actively managing their health and wellbeing. Allowing insurers to fund wellness and lifestyle products – like gym memberships, skin care products and services, as well as a range of alternative therapies including naturopathy and aromatherapy – that are relevant to younger peoples’ desire to invest in their health and wellbeing would undoubtedly increase their participation. It will also promote healthier lifestyles, removing pressure on our health system in the longer-term. 

While the evidence-base is not always well established for some of these therapies, it is evident that the science generally lags consumer preferences. And if consumers believe that something is valuable, then as a provider, why shouldn’t we be able to fund it? 

The second area in which we can drive a cultural shift is to embrace digital delivery because it’s what consumers want and it provides the opportunity to take pressure off our healthcare system which, as we all know, is under unprecedented pressure. 

The AMA, amongst others, have recently commented on the crisis that is unfolding in our public hospitals1 with increased wait times for surgery, and hospital overcrowding impacting access to emergency care and elective surgeries. The challenge before us is how we leverage digitisation to help address this imbalance. 

We saw demand for telehealth skyrocket during the pandemic and since then it has continued – in the first quarter of this year it accounted for 27% of total MBS services, compared with 25% since the pandemic began. This is because it is meeting a latent need like hybrid working, online shopping and ridesharing; quite simply, it’s how we live our lives in today’s world!

In addition to health insurance and health services, Bupa also provides aged care services globally. One of our challenges in the local market – particularly in rural and regional areas – is finding clinicians to attend to our residents; the home visit is fast becoming a thing of the past. 

The opportunities for digital service delivery to address these issues is enormous. Yet there are still hurdles in place – such as the need to have undertaken a physical consultation with a doctor within 12 months of a telehealth appointment. This limits the consumer experience and ultimately creates inefficiencies in the system. 

Eventually, the convergence of advanced data analytics and digital capability will empower consumers by giving them real-time access to their health information, enabling them to play a greater role in managing their healthcare to both get well and stay well. 
 

The third and final opportunity to drive a cultural shift is for us to accelerate alternative models of care to deliver a better patient experience, and better allocate our precious healthcare resources at a time when government and household budgets are stretched. 

In Australia, we are way behind in embracing alternative models of care. 

Same day and short stay care has been increasing in Australia but still lags the rest of the world. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates 63% of hospitalisations in this country are same day, compared with 77% in the UK, 83% in the US and 88% in Norway. 

For example, in most cases you don’t need to stay overnight in hospital for a hernia repair. And yet in Australia, 80% of people undergoing this procedure stay in hospital for at least one night. Similarly, Australia performs 16% of tonsillectomies on a same-day basis, compared to the OECD average of 38%. 

Bupa’s approach is to expand our partnerships with hospital groups that share our vision for the future. We have, for example, concluded new agreements with Cabrini Health, the Mater and Epworth which focuses on at-home care, virtual and preventative health to drive strong clinical outcomes and better customer experiences. 

An overhaul of the rules and regulations governing what insurers can fund, together with supporting increased digital uptake, are critical enablers to the acceleration of these new care models. 

In conclusion, we are at a critical point – the events of the past two years have exposed a healthcare system that is not as robust as perhaps we may have believed. 

And it’s a system that is not moving fast enough to respond to consumers’ changing needs. 

I’d like to suggest to you that we as healthcare leaders need to change the way we think and help enable reform that puts the consumer in the centre of our focus and empowers them to make decisions about their health and healthcare. 

This is our opportunity to evolve our system for the better, ensuring it can continue to be the world-class system that we both expect and deserve. 

Our submission outlines how current funding settings do not fully reflect the higher costs of delivering care in regional areas, driven by workforce shortages, housing pressures and higher operating costs. These challenges can limit access to care, delay admissions and reduce the availability of services for older people and their families.

Bupa recommends strengthening the use of the Modified Monash Model (MMM) and introducing more targeted, localised funding adjustments to better reflect the true cost of care in different communities. We have also highlighted the need to consider the full cost of delivering aged care, including accommodation and infrastructure, to support investment in regional services.

Bupa’s submission focuses on customer-centred reform to deliver a more productive private health care sector, while taking pressure off our public hospitals which remain under stress.

As pressure mounts on household budgets, spending on health care needs to be directed to care that offers genuine improvements in health outcomes for those receiving it. Even a 10% drop in private health membership would see 1.5 million additional people becoming fully dependent on the public hospital system, increasing waiting lists by 90 per cent and taxpayers would need to pay for an extra 3,600 hospital beds - equivalent to Australia’s four largest hospitals.

Bupa’s suggestions for key areas of reform, include:

• Allowing the funding of more care in a community setting rather than in hospital will reduce the incentives to medicalise treatment which doesn’t require a hospital setting, for example drug and alcohol counselling.
• Removing regulatory barriers to making it more attractive for young people to take out private health insurance, for instance by allowing the funding of wellness and lifestyle products.
• Reducing red tape to allow more preventative and out of hospital care that reflect modern care delivery and the increase in chronic illness.
• Standardised reporting across all hospitals in Australia, regardless of sector, to provide a better understanding of performance and better enable improvements in productivity.
• Outlawing split billing to protect consumers from surprise out of pocket costs and to notify consumers of all fees up front, and
• Bringing Australia in line with other countries around the world with more affordable medical devices by ensuring that private patients do not pay more than public patients.

The Productivity Commission’s Productivity Inquiry takes place every five years to provide the Federal Government with an analysis of Australia’s productivity performance and recommendations to assist with future productivity-enhancing reforms.

Read Bupa’s full submission here.

Our submission recommends a consumer centred approach to improve the simplicity, relevance and affordability of private health care. It identifies opportunities to enhance transparency and data sharing, enable greater access to preventative and out-of-hospital care, and address inefficiencies and out-of-pocket costs.