Rising Premiums Drive Australians to Scale Back Private Health Cover

Private health insurance premiums increased by an average of 4.41 percent in April, marking one of the steepest rises in recent years.
Rising Premiums Drive Australians to Scale Back Private Health Cover
A Bupa Health Insurance membership card is displayed in Sydney on Sept. 12, 2016. AAP Image/Paul Miller
|Updated:
0:00

Australians are facing another cost-of-living hit, with private health insurance premiums rising 4.41 percent from April—one of the steepest increases in recent years—adding pressure to already stretched household budgets.

The increase follows last year’s 3.73 percent rise and comes as healthcare costs climbed 5 percent over the past financial year.