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Last modified on Sun 18 Apr 2021 13.31 EDT
Many Australians experience the countryâs mental health system as inadequate, dangerous and financially punishing, saying they often feel unsafe in hospitals, are dismissed by health professionals and are hit with prohibitive costs that government subsidies do not come close to covering.
And practitioners in turn have spoken of burnout and their frustration with misplaced funding, inadequate quick fixes, overmedication of patients and inconsistencies and duplication in the system, while acknowledging that many seeking help find the system âdeeply traumaticâ.
Many who responded to Guardian Australiaâs call-out asking readers to share experiences of the mental health system are the face of the âmissing middleâ, a term often used in reports and inquiries aimed at assessing the gaps in the mental health system.
Almost 14 million Australians with private health insurance will face a price hike come April 1 â the second in just six months â and the hits keep coming.
The federal government will also decrease its rebate slightly from 25.059 per cent for under 65s on the base tier to 24.608 per cent on April 1, making premiums a little more pricey.
Add to that, the latest APRA report published last month found out-of-pocket expenses for hospital treatment was up 13 per cent on the previous year.
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Private health insurance premiums are going up again, with many families facing bigger bills after April 1.(iStock) I think it will be tough for a lot of families, Consumers Health Forum of Australia chief executive Leanne Wells said.
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Health Insurance Premiums to Rise
The federal government has authorised a rise in private health insurance premiums that will cost families an extra $126 a year on average.
The 2.74 percent annual increase will take effect from April and builds on rises of 2.92 percent this year and 3.25 percent in 2019.
Almost 14 million Australians will be impacted by the cost increase.
A single person will pay an extra $1.14 per week, and a family will pay $2.44 more a week.
But Health Minister Greg Hunt says it’s the lowest annual average premium increase in 20 years.
“Australian government reforms mean private health insurance will continue to offer Australian families affordable choice and flexibility in their health care,” his office said in a statement on Monday.