A $24 million taxpayer-funded doctor comparison website is only being used by 20 doctors.
Medical Cost Finder launched in 2019 as a platform for people to compare the out-of-pocket costs doctors charge for specialized procedures in order to find the best deal.
However, only 20 of the 36,000 specialists throughout the country have contributed their fees to go public.
ACT Senator David Pocock fears the website is just another waste of taxpayers’ scarce resources and asks health department officials if the website had cost “more than $1 million per doctor”.
‘How does that help people compare prices, if there are 20 doctors with their fees?’ he said.
“With so few doctor fees on the website, it is difficult to see how it can in any way help people seek surgeries or increase competition in the healthcare market.”
Senator Pocock Fears Medical Cost Finder Is Another ‘Huge Waste of Taxpayer Resources’
According to the Sydney Morning HeraldFindings from a budget estimates hearing have led Private Healthcare Australia to call on the government to force the publication of doctors’ private fees.
Rachel David, chief executive of the top insurers’ body, said it’s time for the government to step in as out-of-pocket medical costs soar.
Department officials told Pocock that the website allowed people to compare rates and avoid paying more than necessary for procedures.
Under questioning, the department’s deputy secretary, Brian Kelleher, admitted that only 20 doctors across Australia had disclosed their fees on the site, although 112 had registered to do so.
The website was designed to be a platform for people to compare the out-of-pocket costs that doctors charge for specialized procedures in order to find the best deal.
He said the website listed 1,300 medical items, but only 150 of them had corresponding fees.
More than $24.2 million has been spent on the site since its launch in 2019, which equates to more than $1 million per doctor who disclosed their fees.
“The vast majority of people who visit us may be bitterly disappointed,” Pocock said.
Ms David said more transparency was needed to protect consumers with private health insurance from exorbitant bills, as health funds can no longer chase doctors’ rising out-of-pocket costs.
Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson has raised his fees to the medical cost finder and is encouraging other doctors to get involved.
He said doctors know how important fee transparency and informed financial consent is to their patients, and said one of the ways doctors can support their patients is by listing their fees on the site in less than five minutes.
