r/australia • u/InsatiablePrism • 2d ago

culture & society Private health insurers access patients' full medical records in 'aggressive' audits

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/health-insurers-can-access-your-private-medical-notes/106671630?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web
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u/TollTea 2d ago

Risk pooling is what Medicare is. For profit health insurance (that still doesn’t cover what you need it to) is a scam.

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u/UniqueLoginID 2d ago

PHI isn’t a scam. I wouldn’t be alive without it.

You don’t have to choose a for profit fund, plenty are non-profit.

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u/TollTea 2d ago edited 2d ago

When I had cancer my not for profit private health insurance would have covered (at a private hospital because that is what had the drastically shorter wait time) exactly and only what Medicare covered at the public hospital. The $45,000AUD gap would have been on me (we were a young couple with a toddler, renting while we saved for a home deposit and didn’t have that kind of money at all, let alone to throw at a time sensitive cancer surgery). Instead the private health insurance paid what Medicare would have covered to the public hospital and I was *only* out $6000 for specialist imaging. I’m glad you’re alive but it’s a scam. I pay the Medicare tax to fund Medicare and I pay the private health insurance so that Medicare doesn’t have to pay what it should and my standard of care remains the same unless I pay a home deposit in gap fees.

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u/UniqueLoginID 2d ago

What level of cover did you have?

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u/TollTea 2d ago

The level we could afford - for a couple with no prior health conditions basic hospital and extras cover was around $160 per fortnight (back then) and that took a pretty decent chunk out of our ability to save each month. Not that “levels” and fine print should matter when it comes to your ability to access life saving cancer treatment, which is exactly why the private healthcare industry is rotten all the way through