Fiona Nash (NSW, National Party, Deputy Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for his question, and for some advance notice of it, and note his genuine concern regarding these issues. The Minister for Health is supportive of work to increase the transparency of outcomes for patients and has already been working with the royal college of surgeons, health stakeholders, and the Department of Health in examining options to improve the information available to assist consumers in making informed decisions about their health care, including the development of a transparency model. States and territories are responsible for the delivery and performance of hospitals, and as part of the agreement with the Commonwealth we expect them to meet strict standards of care and performance. The government's action to keep the pressure on private health insurers has helped drive the lowest rise in premiums in 10 years—lower than in any year under the Rudd and Gillard governments. Minister Hunt has committed to work with insurers over the next year to find ways that insurers can deliver more value for customers without compromising on the quality of cover. Under the coalition, we have delivered 45 million more bulk-billed Medicare services in 2016-17 than in 2012-13 under Labor. This includes an extra 1.9 million bulk-billed specialist attendances compared to Labor.