Country Correspondent: Aisha Gomez
The Turnbull government has partnered with medical professionals to create a Ministerial Advisory Committee on Out-of-Pocket Cost to examine excessive patient fees charged by some medical specialists. The committee, chaired by the commonwealth chief medical officer, will investigate pricing structures behind high patient fees and examine strategies for better price comparison options for consumers and general practitioners at the referral stage. In Australia, outpatient specialists set patients’ out-of-pocket fees independently, and some patients have faced great financial hardship as a result of large specialist bills.
Source