Just 15% of home care providers currently have their pricing listed on My Aged Care, while only 40% have a website link – some of these not linking directly to a pricing schedule.
The Minister for Aged Care has asked approved providers to immediately publish their current pricing schedules, either as a PDF on the Home Care Package Service Finder on My Aged Care or a website link, as consumer complaints about transparency and comparability of home care pricing continue to grow.
Providers will need to comply soon too. Mr Wyatt has announced legislation will be introduced to make it mandatory for home care pricing schedules to be published on My Aged Care as early as October 2018. Providers will also have to take part in a pricing comparability table on the portal by 30 April 2019.
According to the Minister’s letters to providers, the Department of Health will start the co-design process for a comparability guide for common home care package services in August or September 2018.
Mr Wyatt has also issued a blunt warning on administrative charges, stating he expects providers to keep charges “to a minimum” and will be monitoring closely.
A warning then for providers to toe the line – or face the consequences.
