Leader of Australian Insurers Group Calls for Commission on Device Costs

Australian health insurance industry officials called for an investigation into the high cost of medical devices in the country.

Matthew Koce, chief executive of health insurance industry group hirmaa, requested the commission during a hearing of the Australian Senate on private health insurance. Insurers argue the prostheses list, which imposes requirements on what they must pay for devices, forces them to pay higher prices than the public system or other nations.

Charging the private insurance system the same as its public counterpart for medical devices could reduce annual policy costs across the board, Koce said.