More again for health

AUSTRALIANS will have to reach further into their pockets for private health cover from April but Health Minister Greg Hunt insists it should be the lowest rise in premiums in more than 15 years.

Mr Hunt will soon reveal the April 1 increase, following last year’s average premium rise of 4.84 per cent but yesterday was already pre-empting the announcement.

“After one of the most significant reforms to private health insurance, we are pushing insurers to deliver the lowest change to premiums in over 15 years because every dollar matters to families, seniors and young Australians,” he said.