Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the searchable website at the weekend after a Ministerial Advisory Committee found more than one-in-three patients were experiencing out-of-pocket costs varying from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands.
The committee also found more than a quarter of patients said they had incurred an out-of-pocket cost of more than $10,000 for breast cancer treatment.
³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Seniors Chief Advocate Ian Henschke said a survey of its members had established their biggest worry was the out-of-pocket expenses they faced for services and procedures not fully reimbursed by Medicare or private health insurance.
“We welcome the government’s commitment to make specialists’ fees more transparent, but we want to be assured all specialists will be obliged to list their fees on the website,” Mr Henschke said.
“We know gap costs are a major contributor to rising out-of-pocket expenses. Seniors, who are often on low and fixed incomes, are particularly hard hit and are forced to put off medical treatment or cut their private health cover.
“And sometimes it’s not a case of a single specialist charging exorbitant fees that is bringing seniors to this point, but the cumulative effect of numerous ‘extra’ fees.
