David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I also rise today to speak to the Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026. Now, it would not shock anyone in this House that I believe that the Morrison government made many mistakes and missteps in their term of government. Whilst a lot of time could be spent discussing those that made major headlines, one that did not receive as much attention was their failed price disclosure tool, Medical Costs Finder.

The Morrison government spent $24 million setting up the Medical Costs Finder website, which they claimed would use Medicare data to display the cost of common medical services alongside the fees that individual specialists voluntarily shared on the website. But how did this work out in practice? By the end of 2022, out of the approximately 6,300 eligible specialists registered to practise in the 11 specialities covered on Medical Costs Finder, just six doctors had chosen to display their fee information—six out of more than 6,000. But that was in 2022. Maybe it improved over time. But, even three years later, only 88 doctors have voluntarily displayed their fee information—just 88. It is clear that the system was not working and that this was preventing Australians from accessing information that they needed when making decisions regarding their health care. This bill before the House fixes that.

It is simply unjustifiable to expect Australians to commit to a medical treatment without knowing the cost of that treatment. It is unjustifiable to expect Australians to commit to a medical treatment without being able to compare those costs against the fees charged by other providers. Australians have the right to know the level of support that is provided by their private health insurer so they can determine from the outset their likely out-of-pocket costs. This bill will allow the government to publish details about what individual specialists charge for particular medical services.

This information is already collected by government. It's just a matter of allowing it to be published. This move will improve transparency and take the guesswork out of health care, helping to ensure that Australians have all the information they need when making choices concerning the health of themselves and their loved ones. And it does this without increasing the administrative burden on our doctors.

This bill also outlaws another practice that is becoming increasingly problematic in the insurance system, which is the practice of product phoenixing. For those who are unaware, product phoenixing is when an insurer closes an existing product and then opens an identical or similar new product at a higher premium. We know that this practice is hurting the hip pockets of Australians and damaging their confidence in the insurance system. That is why we promised at the last election to address it, and that's why we are delivering on that promise. Not only does this provide more protections to Australians; it also provides them with assurance that our insurance system is working as it should and is there to support them.

This doesn't protect only new entrants to private health insurance but also the 15.3 million people who currently hold private health insurance policies, who are currently left unprotected from this practice. The bill will achieve this by amending the approvals that insurers are required to receive from the minister for health. Currently, private health insurers are required to apply to the minister for health if they wish to change the premium for an existing product. This creates loopholes that have been exploited by providers to maximise their profits and hurt the Australian people. This bill before the House creates changes that will require an insurer to seek ministerial approval for the premium charged for a proposed new product and, importantly, where changes are made that reduce cover, a benefit or a term of condition of an existing product.

We know that the cost of medical and hospital services is a key driver of health inflation for consumers, which ultimately feeds into higher out-of-pocket costs and higher private health insurance premiums. We know that fees can vary widely across specialists, even for the same procedure in the same part of Australia. And we know that this is hurting Australians. That is why we promised to address this issue, and that is why we are delivering on this promise and advocating the passing of this bill.

On this side of the chamber we are dedicated to working for the Australian people to ensure that our healthcare system is strong, transparent and accessible for all. If only that was the case for everyone in this chamber, though. Can we really be shocked that we are still here cleaning up the mess of the previous government when they have members on their front bench who still believe that our Medicare system should be privatised, stripping Australians of the quality health care they deserve? Can we be shocked when they have members on their front bench who are committed to talking down Australia and Australians and members who are willing to bet against the Australian economy and people?

The member for Goldstein has gone on record in this House declaring that Australia runs an 'illness system', not a healthcare system, stating that it is a system designed to keep people ill to feed the benefits of the unions and the people they are paid to represent and to maintain the political control of the Australian Labor Party. He is more obsessed with grand political conspiracy theories and union bashing than with the health care of the Australian people. The only thing the member champions in health care is the privatisation of Medicare. But on this side of the House we will champion all aspects of our public healthcare system. That's why I'm proud to stand for this bill.

In more specifics, this bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 and the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 to allow for the publication of information about medical practitioners and their billing, including names, locations, fees charged by location, and their utilisation of gap cover arrangements with insurers, where insurers pay a medical practitioner more if they agree to charge no or fixed out-of-pocket costs. It will allow for the publication of information about hospitals, including medical practitioners who provide services at the facility and insurers that have gap cover or contracting arrangements with the facility. And it will allow for the publication of information about insurers, including the proportion of policyholders who experience different gap cover arrangements and the out-of-pocket costs under those arrangements.

Transparency and honesty in our medical system are crucial so that Australians and people in my community are able to make fully informed healthcare choices. Honesty in our system and in how we talk about our system matters. Unfortunately, not everyone in this House would seem to agree with that. The member for Goldstein has, in this House, declared that there are no bulk-billed doctors in this capital city. He has come here and claimed that people in my home, in my community, do not have these services. This is a blatant falsehood.

I will not stand here and say that there is not more work to do on the bulk-billing rates in my community, but to exploit the concerns of my community—to which he is a stranger—for his own political gain and narrative is unacceptable. I'll stand here with every opportunity I have, be honest about the challenges we face and fight for my community—not exploit them and the constituencies of others to suit my own narrative. The member for Goldstein has gone on record in this House saying, 'Let's be honest about health care,' and I agree: let's be honest about it.

There is only one side of this chamber that is committed to fighting for Australians' right to access affordable and accessible health care, and it's not just this bill that proves it. We've made record investments in Medicare and bulk-billing, which has worked to ensure that bulk-billing rates Australia-wide are now over 81 per cent and that 97 per cent of Australians live within a 20-minute drive of a registered Medicare bulk-billing practice.

The Albanese government has made record investments in our healthcare system, reaching new agreements with the states and territories to deliver record funding into the hospital system. Here in the ACT, it will mean an additional $557 million boost to hospital funding alongside additional funding of $75 million to assist with the challenges of being a smaller jurisdiction. This is part of a package that is worth over $4 billion in the ACT.

Twelve months after the Albanese government's landmark $792.9 million women's health package, we are seeing real and impactful changes being delivered. This includes the first PBS listing of new contraceptive pills in more than 30 years and the first PBS listing of new menopausal hormone therapies in over 20 years. More than 6,700 women with endometriosis have access to treatment at PBS prices, saving $4.9 million on 26,000 scripts in the past year. Women undergoing in vitro fertilisation are receiving earlier and more affordable access to a form of fertility treatment, with more than 46,000 women with specific low levels of reproductive hormones accessing 273,000 scripts in the past year.

The Albanese government has delivered the largest cut to the cost of medicines in the history of the PBS, with the maximum cost of a general script falling from $42.50 to $30 in January 2023 and now to $25. This Albanese government has established 1800MEDICARE, because life isn't nine to five and access to health advice shouldn't be either.. In my community, the Albanese Labor government has invested in and established the Medicare urgent care clinic in Woden and the Tuggeranong Medicare Mental Health Centre in Tuggeranong. (Quorum formed)This bill is another example of the Albanese Labor government's plan to assist Australians with the cost of health care to ensure that the last thing Australians are worrying about when seeking medical treatment is their wallet. This fits into the broader picture of Labor's commitment to stand in the trenches with the Australian people in the fight against the cost of living. That's why we've also cut student debt, cut the cost of PBS medicines, cut 30 per cent off of home batteries to lower power bills, supported apprentices with 10,000 bonuses and introduced paid prac for nursing, teaching, social work and midwifery students. I'm very excited to see this latest commitment be delivered and added to that list. I commend this bill to the House.

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