Health Archives - Page 4 of 12 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

9 August , 2021

Stationary training equipment standards open for public comment

Stationery training equipment incudes exercise bicycles, training benches, treadmills, rowing machines, steppers, and other equipment for use in training areas of organisations such as sports associations, hotels, sports halls, educational establishments, studios, gyms, fitness centres etc where access and control are regulated by the owner. The nine parts of the new standards are open for…

19 May , 2021

CFA & ACCC Consumer Advocacy Showcase & Award Winners

On Monday 12 April, Consumers’ Federation Australia (CFA) and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) co-hosted the Consumer Advocacy Showcase & Award, in the final online session for the 2021 ACCC National Consumer Congress. The Showcase celebrates effective and good practice within consumer advocacy. The joint-winners were Fiona Guthrie, with Who’s Making Australians Bankrupt?; and Matthias Oldham, with Junk Insurance…

19 March , 2021

Consultation on Draft National Preventative Health Strategy

A Draft National Preventative Health Strategy (the Strategy) was released recently for comment via a website survey which closes on 19 April. The survey and the Strategy are available here. The Strategy aims to help Australians improve their health at all stages of life, through early intervention, better information, targeting risk factors and addressing the…

3 March , 2021

New rule helps life support customers switch and save on energy plans

Customers needing life support equipment – such as kidney dialysis machines – will find it easier and cheaper to shop around for better energy deals under a new rule announced by the Australian Energy Market Commission. This is an AEMC media release, originally published on the 25th February, 2021. The change to the National Energy…

9 December , 2020

Health funds pay policyholders $500 million less due to COVID-19

Insurers have paid out $500 million less in hospital and extras benefits in 2019-20 compared to the previous year, the latest ACCC annual report into the private health insurance industry has found. This is an ACCC Media Release. The reduced benefit payout was the result of government-imposed restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited non-urgent…

16 September , 2020

Consultation on the development of the National Preventative Health Strategy

In June 2019, the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP announced that the Australian Government would develop a National Preventive Health Strategy. The Strategy aims to help Australians improve their health at all stages of life, through early intervention, better information, and targeting risk factors and the broader causes of health and wellbeing.…

1 September , 2020

Money on your mind – campaign to improve mental and financial health

Beyond Blue and Financial Counselling Australia (FCA) are encouraging people to access free support services to cope with the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The organisations have launched the Money on Your Mind campaign to support people experiencing financial stress and mental health issues. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows 41 per cent of…

14 April , 2020

UNCTAD calls for firmer action to better protect consumers during COVID-19

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released the following statement, calling for authorities to do more to moniter and act on unfair business practices and criminal activities exploiting fears over the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has opened the floodgates of unfair, misleading and abusive business practices, hitting consumers hard and…

31 March , 2020

“Penalties for not taking up private health cover must be suspended”: CHOICE

Consumer advocate says Lifetime Health Cover Loading should be suspended in light of COVID-19 financial pressures Consumer advocate CHOICE is calling on the Federal Government to suspend consumer penalties for not taking up private health insurance in light of the COVID-19 crisis. The advocacy group says the Government should add an extra 365 days to…

20 March , 2020

Warning on COVID-19 scams

Australians should be aware scammers are adapting existing technology to play on people’s fears around coronavirus and selling products claiming to prevent or cure the virus. Since 1 January 2020, the ACCC’s Scamwatch has received 94 reports of scams about coronavirus, but warns figures are starting to climb. Scamwatch has received multiple reports of phishing scams…

12 March , 2020

Understand the cost of medical procedures using Medical Costs Finder

The Medical Costs Finder is an online tool that helps people understand the cost of common medical procedures by specialists in Australia. In line with the Australian Government’s strategy to improve understanding and transparency of out of pocket costs, the web tool uses the most recent publicly available Government data about what people have paid…

10 March , 2020

Private health insurance premiums rise despite growing exclusions

For the first time, the majority of hospital treatment policies held by Australians now contain exclusions, the latest ACCC annual report into the private health insurance industry has found. More than 57 per cent of policies held by Australians contain exclusions, up from about 44 per cent in the previous year. “Many people may not be aware…