What was debated in Parliament
Summarised using AI from the official Hansard transcript of the debate only. It is not a record of the debate and may leave things out. Read the Hansard below to check it.
This bill lets the Health Department publish what individual specialists charge and likely out-of-pocket costs on the Medical Costs Finder website, using billing data the government already holds. It also stops 'product phoenixing' by requiring insurers to get the minister's approval for prices on new products and for cuts to existing cover. Speakers broadly agreed with the aims, and debate focused on whether the published data would be accurate and fair and whether the bill does enough to lower costs.
Arguments made in support
The Government said over 800,000 people delayed or missed specialist care in 2024-25 because of cost, and patients should know prices before committing to treatment.
Government members said the voluntary website failed, with fewer than 100 specialists choosing to publish their fees, so using existing data fixes this without extra work for doctors.
Supporters said phoenixing let insurers close a policy and relaunch a near-identical one at a higher price, avoiding the minister's annual review.
The Greens, the AMA and Private Healthcare Australia were cited as supporting the bill as a step in the right direction.
In the Senate, the Government accepted Coalition amendments to cap application fees at cost and require yearly reports on fee trends and phoenixing.
Arguments made against, or for changes
The Coalition did not oppose the bill but said it was not ready, questioning how current and accurate the data would be and how errors would be fixed.
The Coalition opposed the department being protected from being sued over published fees and said approval for every new extras product was too broad.
Independents Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney and Sophie Scamps said transparency alone will not lower costs, calling for Medicare rebate indexing, quality data and an independent private health regulator.
Allegra Spender and the Coalition called for set deadlines for ministers to decide on new insurance products, which the Government did not accept.
The Greens said public money should go to public health rather than subsidising private insurance, and that dental care should be added to Medicare.
106 speeches by 52 members in the House and Senate over 8 sitting days.
Hansard: House of Representatives, 12 Feb 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: House of Representatives, 25 Mar 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: House of Representatives, 24 June 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: House of Representatives, 25 June 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: Senate, 29 June 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: Senate, 14 Sept 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: Senate, 15 Sept 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Hansard: House of Representatives, 16 Sept 2026 ›
The official Hansard (PDF), Parliament of Australia
Every party member who voted went with the majority of their party.