2024-25 Public Hospital Pricing Framework

The AMA submission opposes the abolishment of COVID-19 treatment adjustment and calls for the yearly setting of National Efficient Price to adequately take into consideration the growing cost pressures in public hospitals. The AMA argues that the projected labour shortages in Australia’s public hospitals, combined with the impact of the palpable and widely recognised burnout of the health staff, as well as staff COVID infections and prolonged sick leave, are the primary underlying drivers of cost growth and they are inevitably going to impact the increase in healthcare costs over the coming years.