Media releases

The Consumers Health Forum has called for major reforms to the regulation and funding of pharmacies to foster a better deal for consumers, optimise the use of pharmacists’ skills and the place of the pharmacy workforce and community pharmacy in the health system. In its submission to the Review of...

The Federal Government’s plans to fast track the approval of new drugs will mean medications may come on to the Australian market sooner but they will remain out of reach for most people until and unless they are subsidised, the Consumers Health Forum says. The Government’s response to the review...

The following is a media release from the National Oral Health Alliance , of which we are a member organisation. The National Oral Health Alliance (NOHA) is very pleased to note the announcement today by Catherine King MP that the Australian Labor Party has been able to negotiate withdrawal of the...

Private health insurance needs deep reform if it is to provide affordable and appropriate cover for ordinary Australians and the inquiry announced today signals a positive step towards necessary change, the Consumers Health Forum says. “We have waited a long time for a thorough rethink of health...

The Medicare Review interim report underlines the need for reform of Medicare and for there to be strong input from consumers as well as health professionals, the Consumer Health Forum says. “This review is the most important, wide-ranging examination of Medicare since its establishment 32 years...

The identification of thousands of doctors receiving payments from pharmaceutical companies is a landmark advance towards transparency in health care, the Consumers Health Forum says. “The voluntary disclosure of the names of doctors and others who have received significant payments for talking...

The new National Cancer Register will boost the detection and timely treatment of bowel and cervical cancers, significantly reducing the number of deaths from these diseases, the Consumers Health Forum says. “We welcome the national legislation which, by centralising information from all of the...

An international award for an Australian pharmacy initiative providing tailored consumer health care is welcome recognition of moves towards patient-centred health services, the Consumers Health Forum says. “We congratulate the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia on this honour awarded for their...

The Turnbull Government’s aim to strengthen Medicare through the Health Care Homes model is good news but will need strong clinical leadership and patient confidence and engagement in design and delivery if it is to attract patient support.

Health fund profits have jumped by a lucrative 8.9 per cent yet the latest statistics show that members are on average getting less back from each dollar in premiums they pay. While premium revenues rose by 6.4 per cent in the year to June, the payouts members got back in benefits rose by just 5.3 per cent, according to figures released by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority.