澳大利亚联邦政府计划从2027年4月起改革私人健康保险补贴制度，对65岁及以上人群取消现行的额外补贴，改为按收入统一的补贴标准[1]。这一政策调整将对澳大利亚老年投保人产生重大影响。
政府预测约44000名老年人会因此放弃保险[1]，但保险行业的估计远高于此。根据行业调查，约39%的投保老年人表示可能放弃保险，相当于约100万人[1]。研究人员通过税收数据分析得出更为温和的估计，认为将有14821至42498人放弃保险[1]。最低收入人群将受到最大冲击，占预计放弃保险人数的约95%[1]。这项政策调整预计将使澳大利亚政府在2028-29年度年均节省7.3至9.4亿澳元[1]。
The Australian federal government plans to eliminate the additional private health insurance rebate for people aged 65 and over from April 2027, replacing it with a single income-based subsidy system for all age groups [1]. This policy shift is expected to affect a significant portion of the nation's older population, though estimates of the impact vary considerably.
The government projects that approximately 44,000 seniors—representing about 1 percent of current policyholders in this age group—will abandon their private insurance coverage as a result of the change [1]. However, the private health insurance industry disputes this forecast, with industry surveys indicating that 39 percent of insured seniors may drop their policies, which would translate to roughly one million people [1]. In contrast, independent researchers analyzing tax data have estimated a more modest figure of between 14,821 and 42,498 people would surrender their coverage [1]. The government anticipates annual savings of approximately 730 million to 940 million Australian dollars from 2028-29 onwards [1]. Research indicates that low-income households will bear the brunt of the impact, accounting for approximately 95 percent of those projected to discontinue their insurance [1].