Page 6295 - Week 19 - Tuesday, 17 December 1991

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ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

MINISTER FOR HEALTH

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

QUESTION 431

Hospitals - Private Patients

Mr. Humphries - asked the Minister for Health

1. What is the net financial cost to the government

when a private patient occupies a public hospital

bed.

2. Does the Medicare system encourage the use by

privately insured patients of the ACT public

hospital system.

3. What is the ratio of public to private hospital

beds in the ACT.

4. How does this compare with all other States and

Territories.

5. Does the government intend to make a written

submission to the national review of Medicare,

formally known as the National Health Strategy.

If not, why not.

Mr Berry - The answer to Mr Humphries question is:

1. The answer to this depends on the way in which the

non-public bed is occupied.

If a non-public patient occupies a bed and this is an extra bed (ie. non public patient does not displace a public patient) in the system then the net marginal cost is $173 per bed day (90/91 figures). If, on the other hand, a non-public patient displaces a public patient then there is a net marginal gain of $277 per bed day after the extra revenue has been taken into consideration.

2. The Medicare system for universal health cover recognises that privately insured patients use the

public system. Indeed in 1990/91 around 34$ of the clients in ACT public hospitals were private

patients (excluding ineligibles, compensables and DVS patients). It must also be said that many

privately insured residents do so for choice of doctor purposes and could not afford the

expensive cover required for ACT private hospitals.

6295

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