Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

Private health insurers and medical specialists currently have low participation in publishing their fees and out-of-pocket costs, leaving most Australians unable to compare healthcare prices before deciding whether to see a specialist. This amendment to the Health Insurance Act 1973 and Private Health Insurance Act 2007 will let the Department of Health publish medical fees and predicted out-of-pocket costs automatically using government data (Medicare claims, hospital records, and insurer billing information) rather than waiting for voluntary participation from doctors and insurers. The second change requires private health insurers to get government approval before raising premiums on new or significantly changed insurance products, bringing formal oversight to premium setting. Together, these changes aim to help the roughly 800,000 Australians who skip or delay specialist care each year because of cost, by giving them transparent pricing information to make better healthcare decisions.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause