CANBERRA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The percentage of Australians with basic hospital cover has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade.
According to data released by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), almost 30,000 people have dumped their policies since March.
It means that the proportion of the population with basic hospital cover is now 44.2 percent, the lowest it has been since 2007 and a full percentage point lower than at the same point in 2018.
Health insurance premiums rose 2.8 percent in the second quarter of 2019 according to APRA, outpacing growth in inflation and wages.
Tony Bartone, the president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), said that the figures were concerning.
"This is a continuation of the same trend, the same spiralling down trend we've been referring to for many months now," he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Wednesday.
"We need to address the issues underpinning this decline to ensure equity and access to the public health system.
"Our public health system is predicated on a specific amount of work being done on the private system - that is relieving a lot of pressure on public systems."
APRA figures also revealed that Australians are paying 315 Australian dollars (213.4 U.S. dollars) out of pocket on average every time they go to hospital, an almost 2 percent increase in 12 months.
