With health insurance premiums about to be hit by the biggest increase in a decade, the federal government has confirmed it plans to sell health insurer Medibank Private, the country’s largest fund, in the next financial year. 1. The government says there is “no reason” why the sale of Mediabnk would push prices up, according to a “scoping study” it […]

More than 3000 members of the FiftyUp Club have already answered our 2-minute Health Insurance Survey in less than 24 hours, to help us unearth some sorely-needed Facts about premium increases for the over-50s. It’s a fantastic response and it means we will soon have enough data to scrutinise the real cost of premium increases for FiftyUps. The concept is […]

It’s that time of year again, when Health Insurance premiums usually rise by hundreds of dollars for the average family. Last year, Health Minister Peter Dutton signed off on an average annual increase of 6.2% in private health insurance premiums, with Insurer NIB reported to be the highest of the 34 insurers with an average of 8%. “We desperately need discounted medical [insurance],” […]

Raising kids is an expensive business, especially if they don’t move out of home until they’re sprouting grey hairs themselves. But payback for these KIPPERS (Kids In Parents’ Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings) could be on the cards if Australia follows the lead of Germany, where children can be held liable for their parents’ healthcare if their parents can’t cover the […]

Should publicly-owned companies such as Australia Post, Medibank Private and electricity networks be sold off? Would consumers benefit? That’s been one of the hot topics of recent weeks after the competition watchdog suggested it in a newspaper interview about an upcoming federal government review of competition policy. “There is no doubt in my mind that energy prices, particularly in NSW and Queensland, […]