Inform Support at Home pricing
IHACPA is seeking input to develop the pricing framework for its advice on in-home service costs.
The Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority is calling on aged care workers, providers, peak bodies and other stakeholders to share their views on the service list pricing for the new in-home care program.
After many delays, Support at Home is due to combine and replace the current Home Care Packages Program and Short-Term Restorative Care Program from 1 July 2025 with the new Aged Care Act, with the aim of helping older Australians to live independently at home for longer with the support services they need.
IHACPA has recently released a consultation paper that will inform the development of the pricing framework used to develop initial pricing advice for the Support at Home service list for 2025-26.
The consultation covers:
- pricing policy principles
- data and information requirements
- development of unit prices for the Support at Home service list
- pricing methodology and indexation
- price benchmarking and adjustments.
To help inform its advice, IHACPA is seeking input from aged care providers, people working in aged care, peak bodies and governments as well as aged care recipients, their representatives, families and carers.
“Input from the aged care community will ensure our advice is representative of the diversity of aged care services, and meets the unique needs and challenges faced by in-home care recipients and providers,” said IHACPA chair David Tune.
As more information on the cost of delivering services becomes available, including through ongoing research and the input of stakeholders, IHACPA has pledged to hone its pricing advice and delve into future priorities while the Department of Health and Aged Care will remain responsible for aged care policy, including the funding of in-home support services, as system operators.
“We want to listen to the issues that are important to the sector to build our understanding and ensure our advice results in the most accurate and fair pricing that reflects the true cost of delivering safe and quality in-home aged care services,” said Mr Tune.
Pricing approach for the Support at Home service list 2025—26 consultation paper is available online and in PDF. The consultation closes period closes 5pm AEDT 25 October 2024.
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Charging Aged Pensioners for cleaning, gardening etc support services any amount is unconscionable! Is the government not aware there is a Cost of Living Crisis?! Pensioners exist on pensions that are below poverty level. Many already cannot put food on the table and suffer from malnutrition. For many, these imposts will lead to further hardship, and most will go without support services rather than have to pay as they just will not be able to afford it. More and more elderly will end up in hospitals, leading to more ramping and putting more stress on the hospital system. It seems that pensioners and the elderly in general have lost their voice in this fight. No one in the media is talking about the hardship this new Aged Care Bill will cause and no one is listening to what we are saying. Shame on the government – both Labor and Liberal seem to be determined to bulldoze this Bill through Parliament before Christmas. Our only hope is the Senate will force amendments. I appeared before the Senate Committee Hearing into the New Aged Care Bill on Monday 14 October 2024. Only two Senators were present, a couple of others ‘attended’ by phone. I believe this is not good enough. Again, I got the feeling that we are not really being heard. Senator Ann Ruston was quite engaged and asked very good questions and I am most grateful for that. The government must make amendments to this Bill.
The cap on cleaning (1 hour per week!) and gardening (18 hours per YEAR) is disgusting and will make it much harder for the elderly to stay in their own homes – I thought this was the object of having Home Care Packages?!
We will be living in squalor. Our gardens will be so overgrown that we will not be able to go out into them – the danger of snakes for us is very real.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Older People really need help, we will die we will starve, and we will do whatever it takes to stay in our homes we don’t trust the government or the system anymore we are sick of the lies, please understand it will happen in fact there are some who have already done it, bring the pensioner to a high level closer to the reality of the economy is rising… Please understand its the providers who are the ones making money, and its the aged who are only asking for the help they need how many of us have to die before you see what is happening… I find it hard to understand why the government doesn’t see we are NOT overeacting to this and just want you to stop the providers using the system you have created to line their own pockets then to care for the weak, lonely aged people to have a better end to their lives….