Concerns over cover for cancers

WOMEN will have to buy top health cover if they want to be insured for breast cancer treatment but men will get prostate cover in the cheapest policies under controversial government changes.

Cancer groups are staging a revolt against the changes, which they claim are discriminatory and could force thousands of women back to the public hospital system for treatment.

A government committee has been working for almost two years on simplifying health fund products into gold, silver and bronze products.

Initial stages of the reform planned to allow 12 of 32 key treatments to be excluded from bronze and silver cover including heart attacks, joint replacements, dialysis and cataract surgery.

Breast Cancer Network Australia and the Cancer Council have written to Dr Jeff Harmer, the chair of Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt’s Private Health Ministerial Advisory Committee, to express their “deep concern”.

They believe changes which will see cancer categorised according to where it occurs in the biological system may mean women can only be covered for breast cancer in more expensive health fund policies.

Other types of cancer will be covered in the cheapest policies.

Already many women are finding health insurance poor value for money. Many are left with out-of-pocket bills of $20,000 to $38,000 for breast reconstruction surgery not covered by their fund.