Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 1:09:28 to 1:14:10
The committee examines freedom of information documents regarding proposed changes to private health insurance rebates and their potential impact on public hospital demand.
Topics: Health, Freedom of information
Speakers: Senator Anne Ruston, Celia Street, Ross Hawkins, Senator Nita Green, Unknown Speaker, Senator Ellie Whiteaker
So can we go back to the PHI analysis particularly as it relates to public Okay. Um uh we have another um freedom of information document um under the same Freedom of Information, and this one comes from Oh, probably know where it comes from. Even where it's come from, it's been Whoa. Um yes. Cheers. S22. So, I'm not quite sure what S22 is. Um, so anyway, this email, um, and I won't say the name of the person, um, but everything else has been redacted as to where they come from and who they are, but the subject's PHA rebate changes and public hospital demand. Um, and it says, "Hi, a little more color and movement on what we've been thinking on the PHI rebate changes for Australians age 65 on public hospital service use and demand." Happy to chat if you have any questions and the rest of it's redacted. So I'm really keen to understand here because um on the next page surprisingly not redacted next steps um you know we will respond to questions on notice as needed. We'll work with more erd to understand better their underlying PHI model and its assumptions. We will think more about people who drop to a lower level of PHI rather than dropping cover completely as this is a key cohort we currently do not capture. So this was on the 15th of June 2026. So could you perhaps tell me what work is being done in relation to people that dropped their cover completely as this is a key cohort we do not currently capture. So what's
>> So Senator Celia Street, deputy secretary for system [clears throat] strategy group um in relation to the model as we're and and we have said this in hand side before I think is that we do we capture people coming off um not in terms of lowering their lowering or changing their their products. We don't have that captured in the model. uh we haven't updated the we haven't got the information to be able to update the model but we are looking at how we can try and capture that that information into the future.
>> Okay. So sorry and just to be clear um I think I probably spoke a minute ago. Um and I'll just read it in this is exactly what I said. We think more about people who drop to a lower level of PHI rather than dropping cover completely. So, I'm talking about the people who drop to a lower level, not people who drop their cover. And I'm assuming that's what you're referring to in your response. So, am I to believe that this was announced at the press club prior to the budget in the 12th of May that as we sit here today on the 28th of October, you still have no idea about how many people are going to reduce their level
Senator, we've provided information at two inquiries around what we know and the data that we have. We've talked about downgrading and kind of the impact that will have.
>> No, Mr. Hawkins, I'm sorry, that is not correct. We have discussed downgrading. You have never provided any data as to what the expectation of the department is [laughter] around the numbers of people who are likely to downgrade and the more granular details about what they're going to downgrade from two. You have never provided that information.
>> That's because Senator, we don't collect that information.
>> Don't you think you should have
let the witness finish the answers just and we don't want to be interrupting each other across the table. I will try not to do that if the senators cannot do that as well.
>> I think that sounds like an excellent approach. >> Secretary,