About 40 hospitals nationally will no longer accept Bupa health insurance
Scores of hospitals across all states and territories will be affected by Healthscope tearing up its deal with health insurer Bupa and the AHSA group of funds | FULL LIST
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Healthscope is ending its contracts with private health insurers Bupa and the Australian Health Services Alliance over their refusal - Healthscope says - to sustainably fund hospitals, in a decision that will affect more than six million Australians.
It is a dramatic escalation in the battle between Healthscope, Australia’s second largest private hospital operator, and the Australian Health Services Alliance which represents 26 small to medium sized private health insurance funds.
Bupa has 4.1 million health insurance members and the AHSA collectively covers more than 2.5 million people.
Healthscope chief executive officer Greg Horan said on Friday Bupa and the AHSA’s refusal to sustainably fund hospitals in a high-cost environment left Healthscope no option but to end the contracts.
“Healthscope cares for over 650,000 patients every year and we are absolutely committed to providing the best possible care. But we can only do this if we are adequately funded,” Mr Horan said.
It comes after Healthscope last month proposed a fee to help bridge the gap between what it says is the chronic underfunding from these insurers and the rising costs of providing high quality care.
It said the current step was the result of both insurers pursuing legal threats to stop the introduction of this fee.
“We were proposing the hospital facility fee following Bupa’s and the AHSA’s failure to recognise and fairly fund the rising cost of care,’’ Mr Horan said.
“In the absence of fair funding, this fee was Healthscope’s best option.
“The response from the insurers was lawfare, and we are not prepared to engage in protracted and expensive legal challenges.
“In order for us to remain viable, we are left with no choice but to terminate the contracts.”
Healthscope operates 40 hospitals and clinics across Australia.
Here is a full list of the affected facilities.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Campbelltown Private Hospital
Hunter Valley Private Hospital
Lady Davidson Private Hospital
Nepean Private Hospital
Newcastle Private Hospital
Northern Beaches Hospital
Norwest Private Hospital
Prince of Wales Private Hospital
Sydney Southwest Private Hospital
The Hills Private Hospital
The Sydney Clinic
Tweed Day Surgery
Windsor Road Private Clinic
VICTORIA
Dorset Rehabilitation Centre
Holmesglen Private Hospital
John Fawkner Private Hospital
La Trobe Private Hospital
Knox Private Hospital
Melbourne Private Hospital
North Eastern Rehabilitation Centre
Northpark Private Hospital
Rehab at Home
Ringwood Private Hospital
The Geelong Clinic
The Melbourne Clinic
The Victoria Clinic
The Victorian Rehabilitation Centre
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
National Capital Private Hospital
QUEENSLAND
Brisbane Private Hospital
Gold Coast Private Hospital
Peninsula Private Hospital
Pine Rivers Private Hospital
Sunnybank Private Hospital
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Ashford Hospital
Flinders Private Hospital
Griffith Rehabilitation Hospital
The Memorial Hospital
TASMANIA
Hobart Private Hospital
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Mount Hospital
NORTHERN TERRITORY
Darwin Private Hospital
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Originally published as About 40 hospitals nationally will no longer accept Bupa health insurance
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