Welcome to your August newsletter
August has been a big month for thinking about where health insurers sit in the healthcare system, and how that role is changing.
The clearest signal has come from the major funds themselves. Medibank, Bupa and nib are all talking more explicitly about healthcare delivery, prevention, health services and the connection between better health outcomes and the economics of their insurance businesses. At the same time, new models of care, including the growing role of day hospitals, are challenging assumptions about where care needs to happen and how it should be funded.
There is also a technology layer rapidly emerging underneath this shift. Continuous medication monitoring, more useful wearable data and increasingly sophisticated diagnostics are creating opportunities to identify risk earlier, personalise interventions and support members well before a hospital claim occurs. The technology is increasingly available. The bigger challenge is working out how insurers turn it into something members value and the health system can economically support.
That question of visible member value feels particularly important. New research continues to show that Australians value private health insurance, while also finding it expensive, confusing and increasingly difficult to justify. For insurers looking to build stronger relationships with members, the opportunity is increasingly about what happens between claims, helping people stay well, navigate healthcare and see tangible value from their cover.
That theme runs through much of this month’s newsletter, including my latest thinking on Australia’s health confidence gap, a closer look at consumer sentiment towards PHI, my conversation with Day Hospitals Australia CEO Jane Griffiths, and the scenarios I shared at this week’s Day Hospitals Australia Conference about where healthcare could be heading by 2036.
And on a personal note, it was also a lovely surprise to see Accelerated Innovation named amongst the 2026 Best Innovation Consulting Services in Australia by Digital Reference. Alongside our Gold TITAN Award earlier this year, it is nice recognition for the work we’re doing with clients 🙌🏼.
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