Private health insurers should start paying for hospital-type care at home

Conversation November 7, 2019
Stephen Duckett

In the past, when you needed chemotherapy or intravenous (in-the-vein) treatments such as antibiotics or hydration, you needed to be admitted to hospital.

These days, it’s possible to have such treatments in the comfort of your home, with nursing or other clinical supports.

Public hospital-in-the-home and other hospital-substitute programs are burgeoning in the public sector, including in Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales. These programs now provide the equivalent of hundreds of hospital beds.

Having treatment at home is more convenient for patients, reduces the demand on hospitals, and cuts costs for the health system.

But if you have private health insurance and want to access these services via a private hospital, it’s often not possible. This needs to...

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