July
A GST on health insurance would be the tipping point for members
A 10 per cent increase in premiums would be a self-defeating policy that would hurt households, destabilise the health system, and increase pressure on public hospitals.
Childbirth medtech eyes US market with $30m raise
Perth-based VitalTrace has tapped Acova Capital to raise funds for its commercialisation push.
Ramsay to close psychology clinics in blow for mental health patients
The nation’s largest private hospital operator says 17 of its 20 psychology clinics will close by September.
Healthscope lays the groundwork for not-for-profit status
The hospital operator is exploring applying to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission to become a registered organisation.
Healthscope’s not-for-profit plan to bid for itself
Healthscope’s lenders are weighing up a proposal to restructure the hospital operator into a not-for-profit company which will save $100 million on payroll tax.
No gaps: Is this the future of private hospitals?
A combination of doctors’ frustration, an available site and a developer looking to expand led to the building of a $100 million hospital.
Healthscope’s problems are huge, Tino La Spina says he can fix it
While the company’s receivers are being pressured to break up the hospital group, there is also an alternative vision to keep it whole.
Sick of doctor fee gouging? Don’t ask government to fix it
Government reluctance to intervene in the medical profession means we must consider reform based on market forces to empower consumers.
Greg Hunt says states should pay private hospitals for public beds
The former health minister is now a senior adviser at Alvarez & Marsal. He says public funding could help the struggling sector and cut down waiting lists.
June
ACCC sues Bupa for misleading customers, seeks $35m penalty
Some policyholders were left thousands of dollars out of pocket and financed their own medical treatment that the private health insurer was obliged to pay.
Health insurers dodge funding intervention
Health Minister Mark Butler says health insurers have coughed up as much as $350 million in extra hospital funding this financial year.
NSW budget winners and losers
Housing developers, foster carers and public servants to gain from 2025-26 budget, while drivers to lose awaiting toll reforms.
Healthscope in limbo for up to a year as administrators extend auction
The private hospital operator collapsed last month and administrators have told the Federal Court the process of selling the business could take some time.
May
Healthscope’s terminal prognosis could be just the start
Another eight private hospitals are earmarked for closure as the operator’s collapse raises questions about the business model.
Di Pilla grants Healthscope rent relief to keep hospitals open
The owner of 11 Healthscope hospitals says it has had expressions of interest for alternative operators.
The five Healthscope hospitals under the microscope
Sydney’s Prince of Wales and Melbourne’s Knox Private are among the best performing hospitals while Hobart Private and Darwin Private are strategically important.
Hedge funds weigh up longer-term ownership of collapsed Healthscope
Polus Capital and Canyon Partners are considering whether they should tip money into the failed hospital operator amid questions about private equity ownership.
States demand assurances from Butler after Healthscope collapse
The future of the failed private hospital giant is partly in the hands of five Chinese state-owned banks and asset managers which control a fifth of its debt.
Brookfield’s comeuppance no cause for health policy complacency
The reality is that both taxpayers funding Medicare services and users of private healthcare will ultimately need to pay for the rising cost of the system.
Healthscope plight shows we can’t afford to let private hospitals fail
The Australian healthcare system grows at GDP plus 2 per cent every year and would collapse in the absence of private healthcare activity.