Health Insurance Claims Top $2 Mi...( Leading heat...),Health

Leading heath insurance fund Medibank Private has released a list of the most expensive benefit claims made by members.

Melbourne, VIC (PRWEB) February 27, 2009 -- A hospital bill of $364,859 for complex bowel surgery heads the annual Medibank Private "Chart Toppers" list of the most expensive health insurance benefit claims made by members of the fund.

The bowel surgery claim, costing 20 per cent more than last year's most expensive claim, helped push the total value of Medibank Private's top ten claims for the year (to 30 June 2008) to almost $2.4 million.

Second on the Chart Toppers list was a claim for neurosurgery which came in at $276,595. Third place was for 469 days of neonatal hospital care for which Medibank Private paid a benefit of $256,451 on behalf of the baby's parents.

Overall the number of very high cost claims on hospital cover has leapt, with Medibank Private covering 73 per cent more claims over $100,000, which increased from 86 to 149 during the period.

Medibank Private Industry Affairs Manager, Craig Bosworth, says the rising number of high cost claims indicates that the private health sector is increasingly carrying the burden of an ageing population and the complex, technologically intensive hospital care older people often require.

"The Medibank Private Chart Toppers list shows that providing quality healthcare is very expensive. With eight of the top ten claims for people aged 54 or over, it also illustrates that