Category: Health Reform

Labor’s New Shadow Minister for Health Chris Bowen

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Christopher Eyles Guy Bowen was born in Sydney and educated at Smithfield Public School and St Johns Park High School in New South Wales. Bowen attended the University of Sydney where he graduated with a Bachelor of Economics, later completing a Masters of International Relations from Griffith University and a Diploma in Modern Languages (Bahasa Indonesia) from the University of New England.

At the age of 22, Bowen worked as a research and media officer to the then Member for Prospect, Janice Crosio MBE, before joining the Finance Sector Union as an industrial from 1995-2000. In 2001 Bowen took up an offer to join the staff of NSW Minister for Roads, Housing and Leader of the House, Patrick Carl Scully as first a Senior Advisor and later as Chief of Staff.

Bowen first started his career in public life when he was elected to Fairfield Council in 1995, and subsequently as mayor from 1998-1999. Between 1999-2001, Bowen went on to become the President of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils.

In 2004, Bowen stood and was elected for the Federal seat of McMahon to replace his former boss, Janice Crosio, who retired after 25 years in politics.

In 2006, Bowen was appointed to Labor’s frontbench by then Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd, as Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Revenue and Competition Policy.

During the Rudd-Gillard government, Bowen held a wide range of ministerial portfolios, including:

  • Minister for Human Services (2009-2010);
  • Minister for Immigration and Citizenship (2010-2013);
  • Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research (2013); and
  • Minister for Small Business (2013).

After the Labor Government’s 2013 election defeat, Bowen served as interim Labor Leader and Acting Leader of the Opposition during the Labor leadership elections. Following the election of Bill Shorten as Labor Leader and Leader of the Opposition, Bowen was appointed Shadow Treasurer – a position he was well prepared for given his many years working in treasury portfolios.

During his time as Labor’s treasury spokesman, Bowen noted his areas of policy interest included wealth creation, housing affordability and protection of Medicare and of penalty rates. He was also the Opposition’s most vocal advocate for a Royal Commission into banking.

In the lead up to the 2019 Federal Election, many believed that Bowen was Australia’s next Treasurer-in-waiting. However, this was not to be, following Prime Minister Scott Morrison historic election upset that saw the Coalition form a majority government, and reduce Labor’s numbers in the House of Representatives.

In June 2019, after Anthony Albanese was appointed Labor Leader, uncontested, Bowen was moved from the shadow treasury portfolio to the shadow health portfolio, replacing well known health advocate Catherine King.

Upon appointment Bowen released a statement outlining his biggest focuses for the portfolio area, including:

  • Tackling the scourge of diabetes, obesity and the other health challenges in areas of low income and poor health outcomes;
  • Closing the Gap of Indigenous disadvantage in health;
  • Maintaining a passionate interest in mental health and suicide prevention; and
  • Ensuring Medicare is protected and grown.

The statement also reflected that, as the longest serving Shadow Treasurer in Australian history, it was time to hand over the portfolio. Bowen also used the opportunity to acknowledge the work of Catherine King, noting her six years advocating for a better healthcare system for all Australians.

The health sector has welcomed Bowen’s appointment, citing his extensive previous experience and his ability for pragmatic and forward thinking. The Consumer Health Forum released a statement outlining that Bowen brings an impressive record to his new portfolio.

Consumer Health Forum CEO, Leanne Wells, said it was “encouraging to see that he (Bowen) has wasted no time setting out his key priorities, including countering obesity, mental illness and close the gap of indigenous health disadvantage”.

Any industry hopes of a bi-partisan approach to health may have already been dashed. Following Bowen’s appointment to the health portfolio, Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said in a Tweet: “ Congratulations to Chris Bowen as Labor Health Spokesperson – however, he’s the man who forgot to allocate any funding for a hospital’s agreement despite pledging to do so for 6 years – big promises – zero dollars when it counted.”

The next three years will be critical for the Australian health landscape, with many in the industry wanting a clear and concise policy agenda to be set, so as to sure up investment and funding. The next three years will be one of keen interest and industry engagement for both Greg Hunt and Chris Bowen, as they attempt to make inroads to tackle the most pressing issues facing the sector.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

MTAA WELCOMES RE-APPOINTMENT OF GREG HUNT AS HEALTH MINISTER

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]MTAA wrote to Minister Hunt before the election seeking a commitment to the medical devices industry to continue to honour the Agreement signed with the sector in 2017, and we were pleased that he responded with an assurance that the Agreement would be honoured.

The Agreement will save private health insurers $1.1 billion in payments for medical devices over the next four years and helped deliver the lowest private health premium increase in 18 years in December 2018.

A key part of the Agreement was the undertaking by Government to accelerate the process of listing non-implantable medical devices on the Prostheses List, to allow more Australians access to cutting edge technology.

The listing of catheter ablation technology on the Prostheses List was a significant step towards allowing privately insured patients greater access to life-saving non-implantable technology.

We look forward to continuing our productive relationship with Minister Hunt as we work together to ensure that Australians have access to the best possible medical technology in order to help them live longer and healthier lives.

We also welcome the re-appointment of the Hon Karen Andrews to the role of Industry, Science and Technology.[/vc_column_text][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”1585″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ian Burgess is the CEO of the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

After The Vote…

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The return of the incumbent LNP means Budget 2019/20, as presented in early April, should be rolled out. In terms of health, the focus was on continuing initiatives to progress the four pillars of the Coalition’s ‘Long Term National Health Plan’ (see later). The development of the Long-Term National Health Plan had been announced two years earlier by the Hon. Greg Hunt, who was at the time relatively new to the Health portfolio. The announcement was preceded by focused activity to sign compacts with potentially vocal and volatile stakeholders. These compacts and other relevant activities are listed in the Table below.

Agreement / Compact Other Party (ies) End date Key Purpose
Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Consumers, providers, States & Territories Reports: Oct 2019 (I) Apr 2020 Terms of reference include quality and delivery of service, meeting needs, future challenges, sustainability
National Health Reform Agreement (and Addendum) COAG States & Territories 30 Jun 2020 Public hospital funding; Health Care Home (HCH) model
Community Pharmacy Agreement (6CPA) Pharmacy Guild 30 Jun 2020 Community Pharmacist renumeration; Wholesaler payments; funding for community pharmacy programmes, Pharmacy Location Rules
Compact: A Shared Vision for Australia’s Health System Australian Medical Association 2020-21† Early resumption of MBS indexation; reversal of bulk billing incentives for pathology and diagnostic imaging; MBS review; My Health Record uptake; Health Care Homes
Compact: Strengthening Medicare Royal Australian College of GPs 2020-21† Early resumption of MBS indexation; MBS review process; after-hours MBS items; workforce reform; My Health Record uptake
Agreement to improve access to & affordability of medical devices for privately insured Australians Medical Technology Association of Australia 31 Jan 2022 Price certainty and reduce time to market for medical devices; transparency & efficiency of Protheses listing processes
Strategic Agreement Medicines Australia 30 Jun 2022 Delivery of $1.8 billion in savings; PBS process improvements
Strategic Agreement. Compact: Strengthening PBS-Measures to Support Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Uptake (2-year extension) Generic Biosimilar Medicines Association 30 Jun 2022 Greater certainty of Government pricing policies for F2 Formulary medicines with brand competition, in an environment of ongoing medicine price reductions associated with price disclosure 
† period of forward estimates from 2017-18 budget; (I) Interim

The compacts were said to be a platform for the national plan and ‘underpinned by a range of shared principles …, transparency in decision making, accountability for reforms, stability and certainty in regards to Government investment ‘. The ultimate success of this approach was reflected in how health was debated equally alongside the other common issues important to Australians in the lead up to yesterday’s election (no controversy, unlike ‘Mediscare’ in 2016). The roll-out of the National Plan reforms is scheduled in 3 waves:

  • Wave 1: guaranteeing Medicare, agreement by COAG on an opt-out model for My Health Record and investments in mental health psycho-social support;
  • Wave 2: sustainability and affordability of private health insurance, mental health particularly in rural areas, workforce strategy, aged care reform; and
  • Wave 3:reform of public hospitals and post 2020 agreements with the states, primary health care and preventive care.

Activity appears to have been well progressed into Wave 2 when the election was called. The next Federal Minister of Health will be in demand as the compacts (and agreements) come up for review. The 4 pillars and Budget 2019/20 initiatives are loosely in line with the Department of Health operational Outcomes:

  1. Guaranteeing Medicare and Access to Medicines [TGA, MBS and PBS; Outcomes 4 & 5]
  2. Supporting our Hospitals [State funding; Outcome 2] 
  3. Prioritising Mental Health, Preventive Health and Sport [Outcome 3]
  4. Life Saving and Job Creating Medical Research [Medical Research Future Fund; Outcome 1].

Note: Ageing and Aged Care [Outcome 6] was also specifically addressed by the Budget in the environment of an ongoing Royal Commission. Many of the identified activities for funding mirror those likely to be part of the Commission Recommendations when they are tabled.[/vc_column_text][vc_zigzag][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”3203″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

About the Author

Sharon Leadbitter is Principal of TACS Healthcare, an independent consultancy providing market access and health policy services to the Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Industries.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

MTAA WELCOMES COALITION’S ELECTION COMMITMENT TO THE MEDICAL DEVICES SECTOR

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Agreement, signed in October 2017, will save private health insurers $1.1 billion in payments for medical devices over the next four years, and helped deliver the lowest private health premium increase in 18 years in December 2018.

A key part of the Agreement was the undertaking by Government to accelerate the process of listing non-implantable medical devices on the Prostheses List, to allow more Australians access to cutting edge technology.

“We welcome Minister Hunt’s commitment to the medical technology industry, that if re-elected, they will continue to honour the Agreement signed in 2017,” said Ian Burgess, MTAA CEO.

“The Agreement has provided certainty for the industry and delivered the lowest private health insurance premium increase in 18 years.

“The Government’s undertaking to list non-implantable devices on the Prostheses List has resulted in patient access to life-changing catheter ablation technology through their private health insurance.

“We look forward to many more cutting edge medical devices being made available to patients as part of this ongoing process,” Mr Burgess said.

In the event of a change of government, MTAA would actively contribute to the ALP’s proposed Productivity Commission review of private health insurance, however, Mr Burgess emphasized that it is important that the reforms that result from the Government’s Agreement with the MedTech industry continue to be progressed.

 

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Industry key to boosting health and medical research

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The health industry’s R&D, including clinical trials, is a key contributor to Australia’s economy. The signatories of this media release – from the medical technologies, biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals industry sector and the health and medical research sector – urge all political parties to adopt a common approach to R&D and to take action to support health and medical research by supporting the conditions that allow industry to do its part.

Australia’s life sciences sector has been adding more than $4 billion gross value per annum (2010 – 2015) to Australia’s economy, employs over 230,000 people, and is a world leader with a strong track record in developing new therapies to combat devastating disease.

The annual Australian businesses expenditure on R&D (BERD) declined by more than $2 billion (12%) per annum between 2014 and 2016 (the latest period for which data is available). It is now at levels not seen since the global financial crisis. AusBiotech’s 2019 research also shows that over the past 12 months there has been a ‘stinging’ drop in the industry’s confidence that the operating environment (economic conditions and public policy) was conducive to growing a biotech business (37% to 14%) and a strong increase in the view that the operating environment was working against the industry (16% to 26%). Parliamentarians (present and future) can take action today by committing to support businesses investing in R&D: the key to boosting BERD.

BERD is critical to health and medical research, and all Australians – from bench, to business, to bedside – will benefit when this declining trajectory is reversed.

Supporting BERD supports the country’s overall GDP. Government needs to increase Australia’s R&D expenditure to three per cent of GDP in the short to medium term – a desirable pursuit which will help to discover new life-enhancing technologies and improve existing ones. We note Labor’s commitment yesterday to “making the R&D tax incentive work” and their target of devoting three per cent of GDP to research. Increasing expenditure in R&D will benefit the full health and medical research pipeline. Australia will be able to facilitate innovative technological developments and capitalise on the benefits the technologies bring if it further enhances the current R&D and business conditions that exist here.

To reverse this trend in declining R&D expenditure, we urge that the R&D Tax Incentive (RDTI) is preserved for the sector. Utilising tax incentives will ensure that Australia realises the social and economic benefits from R&D investment, before a tax incentive can be obtained. The R&D Tax Incentive is the most critical centre-piece programme for raising business investment in R&D and for the translation of Australia’s world-class research into treatments, cures, diagnostics, medical devices and vaccines. The programme has been successful in attracting more long-term investment in R&D, creating highly-skilled jobs, and fostering a strong Australian life sciences clinical trials and R&D sector within a globally competitive space. The structure of the RDTI is a significant and valuable economic activator.

Committing to preserving the R&D Tax Incentive for the sector would enable government to make an immediate contribution to creating high-value jobs, attracting clinical research, growing the economy, and improving health outcomes for Australians. Beyond the economic benefit to Australia, the life science industry’s R&D is developing life enhancing and saving interventions around the world, allowing Australia to continue to thrive as a home for some of the world’s most talented scientists and medical researchers, and improve its position as a centre for high-quality medical R&D.

The intellectual property (IP) developed during R&D and underpinning the value of cutting-edge technologies is globally portable. The proposed Australian Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) incentive has been developed as a complementary tax incentive policy to support and retain home-grown IP locally, and to support manufacturing and innovation. It encourages the research activities funded by Australia to stay in Australia long term, instead of going offshore. Australian-based companies can choose from multiple countries all operating with no or low tax jurisdictions. To remain globally competitive, Australia needs to adopt a comparable solution. The AIM incentive is amongst one of a few policies that would create favourable economic conditions to help address this need.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]

This pre-election statement was issued by MTAA, AusBiotech, Medicines Australia, ARCS Australia, Research Australia, BioMelbourne Network, and Biomedical Research Victoria.

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AUSTRALIA’S HEALTH MINISTER

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Election 2019 will be the seventh consecutive election Greg Hunt will be contesting for his House of Representatives seat of Flinders in Victoria.

Born in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Hunt graduated from Melbourne University in 1990 with a First-Class Honours Law Degree, deciding to continue his studies at Yale University in the United States after being selected for a Fullbright Scholarship.

Back in Australia, Hunt worked as an associate to the Chief Justice of the Federal Court, before entering politics for the first time as a senior advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Alexander Downer MP. During his work with Downer, Hunt was appointed to head Australia’s electoral mission to Cambodia in 1998.

Hunt later moved to the private sector where he worked for the management consulting company McKinsey & Co, becoming an engagement manager specialising in telecommunications, start-ups, government reform and banking.

In 2001, Hunt returned to his hometown in Victoria to campaign for, and be elected as, the Federal Member for Flinders in the then government of Prime Minister the Hon. John Howard MP. Following the 2004 election, Prime Minister Howard appointed Hunt as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage.

Following the 2007 Federal Election which saw Labor form government under then Prime Minister the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, Hunt was appointed Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Urban Water by then Opposition Leader the Hon. Brendan Nelson MP. Throughout the tenure of Opposition Leaders Nelson, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP and the Hon. Tony Abbott MP, Hunt held the Shadow Ministry role with slight tweaks to his title by each incoming Opposition Leader.

After the Coalition’s successful election victory in 2013 under then Prime Minister Abbott, Hunt was appointed as Minister for the Environment. During this period, Hunt declared his greatest achievements in the portfolio were to establish Australia’s Emissions Reduction Fund, develop the Great Barrier Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan and invest $1 billion into the Reef Fund.

In 2016, Hunt was recognised internationally by Thomson Reuters as the ‘Best Minister in the World’, during that year’s World Government Summit in Dubai.

After the ascension of Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal Party Leader and Prime Minister and following then Health Minister Sussan Ley’s resignation from Cabinet, Hunt was elevated to Minister for Health. Upon being promoted Hunt stated that his vision as minister was to guarantee Australians’ access to health services and affordable medicines with the establishment of the Medicare Guarantee Fund, as well as ensuring the security of the ongoing funding of Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

Since inheriting the Health portfolio, Hunt has announced the extension of the Health Care Homes program to June 2021, to help with coordinating the care for patients with chronic and complex conditions, and brought mental health to the forefront of the healthcare discussion, by investing a record $1.45 billion for community mental health services.

During a 2010 speech, Hunt explained that his mother Kathinka suffered a form of bipolar disorder.

“It’s not something about which I have talked much about. He condition was not preventively debilitating but it was significant,” Hunt said.

One in five Australians experience a common mental disorder each year. Nearly half of the Australian population experiencing a mental illness at some point in their lives, with less than half accessing treatment for it.

Hunt has a personal passion for Genomics, a type of study that address genes and their inter-relationships within the body to better identify their influence on how these organisms grow and develop. In an interview given on the subject he said, “This is one of my great personal passions and priorities for the transformation, not just of Australia’s medical research but our health system and our treatment over the coming decade.”

Health is always a key issue in every Federal Election, however with the massive spending announcements from the Opposition in the first week of the election campaign, it has become even more prominent. The Government’s, and to a large extent Minister Hunt’s, vision and record in Health will be put to the test by voters when it comes time to cast their vote.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Catherine King – Australia’s Alternative Health Minister

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With the possibility of a change of government in Canberra, it’s a timely opportunity to look at Australia’s alternative Health Minister, the Hon. Catherine King MP.

The next Federal Minister for Health will walk into a portfolio that has an annual budget of close to $100 billion they will be expected to manage. From approving medicines to list on the PBS and approving prostheses that satisfy the criteria for the Prostheses List, to negotiating with State and Territory Health Ministers for the 1,300 hospitals in Australia, an incoming Health Minister will be entering a broad and complex sector.

Born in Melbourne, Victoria King holds a Bachelor of Social Work from RMIT, a Master of Arts (Public Policy) from ANU, and a Bachelor of Laws from Deakin University. Impressively, King completed her Bachelor of Laws while serving as a Member of Parliament.

Following university, King worked in Ballarat as a social worker at the Children’s Homes and Family Service, before pursuing her strong sense of public service in Canberra where she worked with the then Department of Health and Aged Care as an assistant director and later as director. King has also worked in the private sector as a consultant with KMPG before running for parliament.

Following the 2001 Federal Election, King was elected to represent the seat of Ballarat, where she succeeded Michael Ronaldson to become the first woman to represent Ballarat in the Federal Parliament.

Not long after entering parliament, King was promoted to serve as Labor’s Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development in 2004, and, in 2005, was promoted again to the position of Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer.

After the 2010 Federal Election, which saw the Gillard Government form a minority government, King was elevated to the ministry serving in a number of roles including Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing.

In March 2013, Catherine King was again promoted, this time as a Minister responsible for Regional Services, Local Communities and Territories, and Minister for Road Safety in the Gillard Government. After Labor’s leadership change from Julia Gillard back to Kevin Rudd, King was appointed to Cabinet in July 2013 as Minister for Regional Australia, Local Government and Territories.

After the Coalition’s electoral victory in the 2013 Federal Election, King was appointed by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten to serve as Labor’s Shadow Minister for Health, a position she has held ever since.

King has previously stated that, if she were to become Australia’s next Federal Health Minister, her biggest focus would be addressing the growing burden of chronic disease in Australia, primary care reform and health equity.

Speaking at the George Institute Australia to an audience of over 150 stakeholders from across the healthcare sector, King said “around 7 million Australians have a chronic condition and nearly 90 per cent of premature deaths have a chronic disease as an underlying cause. The cost to the health systems is many billions of dollars. And prevention – as we all know – is the key to reducing much of that burden.”

King went on to say “a strong primary care system which includes a focus on protection, health promotion, disease prevention and early detection of those at high risk is critical to addressing chronic disease. An older population with higher rates of chronic disease means Australians will need more care and different types of it.”

If elected, Opposition Leader Shorten and Shadow Minister King have committed to establishing a permanent policy-making body called the Australian Health Reform Commission. The Commission will build on Health Care Homes and the MBS Review to give the government a realistic and detailed appraisal of how to achieve primary care reform.

In time, King wants the Commission to occupy a similar place in Australia’s institutional landscape, just as the Productivity Commission does now.

With health shaping up to become a key battleground for the election and considered to be a bread and butter topic for the Opposition, voters can expect to see more big spending commitments from both parties during the election campaign.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Peak Body Seeking Participants for Updated Code

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Medical Technology Association of Australia is seeking participants for the 2019 Medical Technology industry Code of Practice.

Dates for the updated review are the 11th March 2019 til the 31st May 2019.

Framework for the review will be based upon setting standards of behaviour, educating Companies in the agreed standards, monitoring Industry activities, and providing self-regulation and disciplinary functions.

The code was first introduced in 2001 and was devised to formalise the ethical business practises for the member companies the MTAA represents. The aim of the code is in promoting high standards across the Medical Technology Industry, so patients can have full confidence in the industry and the products that are offered.

If you would like to be involved send an email to code@mtaa.org.au to organise participation.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Increased funding a boon MedTech in Victoria

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Victorian Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos has announced Victorian hospitals will receive $60 million in the latest round of the Medical Equipment Replacement Program and Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program grants.

Both these programs are aiming to replace existing end-of-life, critical, high-risk assets that are deemed essential to maintaining life and safety in the state’s health care sector. Whilst maintaining ongoing continuity for acute services in public hospitals.

Jenny Mikakos stated “New state-of-the-art medical equipment and better hospital infrastructure will make sure more Victorians can get the world-class care they need, when they need it, closer to home.”

The grant funds will be focused on purchasing updated and new cutting-edge medical equipment such as mammography units, fluoroscopy units, digital X-ray machines and gamma cameras. In what would may be that start of a funding windfall for the states MedTech sector.

The State of Victorian is coming off several years of budget surplus thanks to a booming population and property market and is currently delivering the biggest pipeline of infrastructure projects in the state’s history. Having invested $3.2 billion on infrastructure in a first term Government, with another $3.8 billion to be delivered over the next four years.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Government to Spend $2 million Reviewing Effectiveness of Natural Therapies

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The last review was conducted in 2014-2015 and concluded 17 natural therapies offered through health insurance hadn’t been proven to work on patients. The therapies found unproven to work were:

  • Alexander technique
  • Aromatherapy
  • Bowen therapy
  • Buteyko
  • Feldenkrais
  • Western herbalism
  • Homeopathy
  • Iridology
  • Kinesiology
  • Naturopathy
  • Pilates
  • Reflexology
  • Rolfing
  • Shiatsu
  • Tai chi
  • Yoga

The updated review will be led by the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy and will be supported by an advisory panel of experts including Associate Professor of Public Health Jon Wardle from the University of Technology Sydney. In addition to Associate Professor Wardle the advisory panel will include other experts in natural therapies, consumer representatives, and experts in private health insurance, medicine, and allied health.

The private health insurance rebate is an amount the government contributes towards the cost of private health insurance premiums. The rebate can be claimed for premiums paid for a private health insurance policy that provides private patient hospital cover or general cover, commonly known as ‘extras’, or combined hospital and general cover.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]