Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, , 6:28:41 to 6:32:12
An explanation of co-contribution rates for full pensioners across clinical, independence, and everyday living categories, including available hardship support.
Topics: Social services, Health
Speakers: Mr Greg Pugh, Ms Sonja Stewart, Senator Malcolm Roberts, Mr Blair Comley, Ms Jasmine Snow, Ms Kate Berry, Speaker 31
Okay. Uh last question on this bracket. Um what component does the pensioner pay? Because some pensioners are saying that doing simple tasks and paying 120 dollars an hour. It just cannot be afforded.
This is a question for the department, I think, rather than us.
So um there's a couple of components to this. One of them very importantly was a no-worse-off principle in terms of people, older people that were coming into the new um program of support at home. Um the other is um that contributions are set at a rate that older people can afford, um, which is a key principle underlying the pricing. And I'll hand over to Mr. Q for more information on that.
Sorry, Senator, uh can I ask you to repeat that question? My apologies.
I think that if you Senator Ruim would need to know what the co-contribution rates are for the three categories of care that are provided through support at home. I think you were focusing particularly on a full pensioner. So what the co. Contribution rates for a full pensioner would be.
So how much someone contributes to their supports for independence and everyday living based on their income and assets? Every service that's within the clinical care category. There is a zero percent contribution that cuts across full pensioner public and commonwealth seniors health card holders and also self-funded retirees in the independence category. The four pensioners pay uh five per cent and then in the everyday living category. Full pensioners pay 17 and a half per cent. So then when you get into the part pensioner in CSHC.
Do they pay the full price up front and get refund, or do they only pay the 5% or 17%?
Sorry, sorry.
Do they pay the full price that the provider uh charges and then get a refund, or do they uh pay the five per cent or the 17%?
Uh so essentially what's been described here is uh the portion the government will pay and the portion that the older person will will be asked to pay. So if we take 5%, for an example, 95% will be covered by government under the programme, and 5% would be paid by the older person.
So my thank you for that. My question is that does the does the pensioner pay the full 100% and get 95% back? Or do they pay 5% and then they go? Thank you. That's what it was.
Well, basically at an invoice that says this cost 100 dollars. Um the activity was something that was in the independence uh uh in the in independence category, so you owe um you know you we've charging you five bucks, and we're going to claim the other 95 dollars from Services Australia. Thank you.
It's also important to say, Senator, that if there is an older person that has experienced some hardship, that um there they can go to Services Australia and um explain what hardship they're experiencing if it's a point in time and that can be looked at as well.
And then we get into bureaucraties, but thank you for that.
Senator Roberts, if you're happy with that.