Hospitals in Australia offer new cap program to help manage respiratory care

Posted April 14, 2018 08:14:00 In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the Australian government has introduced a new cap on the number of people who can access the country’s health care system.
In a move that will affect more than 20,000 people, the Commonwealth Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will start limiting the number that can receive the program.
The change will allow those who have already qualified to apply for a cap on their incomes in the first three months of 2018.
“We’re announcing the change to cap on income to those that have already been enrolled in the program, and to those who are enrolled,” Minister for Health Steven Miles said.
“And that’s about the same as it was in the past.
That’s a change that we think will actually make a difference in terms of managing the coronave and helping to make sure that those who do get the cap will be well prepared for what is ahead.”CHIP, which was introduced to the country by former prime minister Tony Abbott, was originally designed to help people pay for private health insurance.
The program allows enrolments to be capped based on their income.
Those who qualify will be able to claim up to $25,000 a year from their employer and $25 from their partner.
The maximum amount an individual can claim is $12,000.
There will also be a cap for families, which will increase to $45,000 for couples and $90,000 in the case of children.
In the wake and public outcry over the lack of a cap, Health Minister Sussan Ley said it was important for people to have the information they need to make the best choices for themselves.
“If you are a family with two children, then you might want to think about having a cap of $20,000, $25 and then if you have any other financial circumstances that are different to that then you can increase that to $35,000,” Ms Ley said.CHIP will also see a cap in terms on the amount of work that is allowed to be done in the health service.
“The cap on work will apply to those in the workforce, it will apply for all of our workforce and those in hospital, the ambulance service, and any other service that you can think of,” Ms Miles said of the changes.
The cap will also apply to the cost of the hospital discharge plan, which is expected to cost $60,000 over the next four years.
While the cap may be a step in the right direction, the new policy will only be effective in the second half of 2018, meaning many people will still not be able access the program in 2018.
However, the government has said that the change will not affect the amount that people will be paid in the event of an emergency.
Health Minister Sudduth Nair said the new cap would help keep people healthy in the long term.
“This will reduce the cost and burden on health systems, reduce the number and the complexity of hospital admissions and hospital discharge plans, and provide more efficient access to primary care for Australians,” Mr Nair told reporters.
Topics:health,health-policy,health,government-and-politics,healthy-health,australiaContact Ashley McBrideMore stories from Western Australia