The Australian Government is now refusing to say when it will exactly release the updated AN-ACC price, due to take effect in only 28 days, despite repeated promises to release the information more than a month in advance - leaving frustrated aged care providers in the dark about future funding.
The Government's Department of Health and Aged Care has told The Weekly SOURCE the AN-ACC update will be released before 1 October, the date it is meant to take effect.
Last year, Aged Care Minister Anika Wells promised the data would be released a month prior to the new pricing taking effect.
"From 2024, the annual price for AN-ACC will be announced in August and come into effect on 1 October," she said. "This gives residential aged care providers greater certainty in the government funding they will receive each year."
Last week, the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority (IHACPA) confirmed the August deadline, but told The Weekly SOURCE the timing of any announcement was "at the discretion" of the Labor Government.
"The Department of Health and Aged Care retains responsibility for policy and operational matters regarding the AN-ACC, including decisions on the pricing cycle and implementation of IHACPA’s pricing advice. As such, any announcements will be at the discretion of government," the IHACPA spokesperson said.
The delay means providers remain in the dark on 2024-25 funding.
Bolton Clarke Group CEO Stephen Muggleton, recently told The Weekly SOURCE, the sector is operating with significant funding uncertainty.
"We don’t even know how much money we will have to spend in 2024/25 because we are still waiting for the 2024-25 AN-ACC price in residential care," he said.
IHACPA is an independent Government agency that makes recommendations to the Government on hospital and aged care funding based on evidence-based costing and pricing advice. Its recommendations were first used to set aged care funding on 1 July 2023, when it recommended a 17.6% increase in the AN-ACC price, which covers the costs of delivering care, with a further 4.4% in December 2023 to reflect the Fair Work Commission's annual wage review.
