Big Private Health Insurers Agree to $140 Million in Higher NSW Hospital Fees

Australia’s biggest private health insurers have agreed to pay a new single-room hospital rate of $892 for using public rooms.

NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey speaks to media during a press conference at Randwick Ambulance Station in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 13, 2023. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Australia’s biggest private health insurers—Bupa, Medibank, NIB, and HCF, which together control 74 percent of the market—have agreed to voluntarily pay an additional $140 million (US$91 million) in higher hospital fees.

Starting Jan. 1, the health insurance giants will pay a single-room rate of $892 for using a public hospital room New South Wales (NSW), nearly double the previous amount.