Norman Swan
speaker
4,170 appearances
23 recordings
2 series
first heard Apr 2026
last heard 3d ago
Norman Swan’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
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recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 23 in all, peaking in Jun 2026 with 7.
Appearances
And I do wonder if publishing these prices, I don't know if it will have the impact that the government desires.
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specialists are charging.
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Well, if it's exposed and everyone can see it, I'm sure some people are going to go, well, I don't want to be the cheapest person on the block.
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I'm going to increase my fees to match this other person who's literally doing the same thing 500 metres down the road.
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I think the issue is much more complex than just giving fee transparency, though it is a good step and it's a step that's been welcomed by the Australian Medical Association, the AMA, who have said they'll closely watch the implementation of this.
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But, you know, they're mainly positive in their reaction.
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The other change that may come about from this bill is with private insurers.
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And really, there's going to be a crackdown on something that's called product phoenixing.
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And basically, private health insurers at the moment, they can say, you know,
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we're going to have the same product labelled Gold One, and you now need to pay $200 more for that.
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It's basically the same.
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But for the people who joined the policy five years ago, they're still on the lower fee, but you're paying much more for the same service.
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Yes, it's rebranding it and kind of putting it in a different bow.
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Basically, the amendment is saying that insurers will need to seek ministerial approval before they change premiums for existing products.
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So this may actually bring a little bit more regulation in the private insurance space as well.
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It's worth just saying that there's been some big news items on all of this.
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Implementing this is going to take some time.
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How much impact it will all have, I don't know.
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But I guess this has happened.
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Watch this space and you may soon be able to go onto a website, log on and actually see all the orthopaedic surgeons in your area and what they charge and make an informed decision when it comes to finances as well as the health professional you choose, which I think is an important part of the process.
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Showing 41–60 of 4,170 · page 3 of 209
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