Are you getting the most from your Home Care Package?
27 Feb 2018
In February 2017, the government implemented the Increasing Choice in Home Care reforms. People receiving Home Care Packages can now move their care from their existing provider to another approved care provider of their choice.
But consumers may not be fully aware of what this change means to them. In a competitive, consumer-led market, you can maximise the value of your package and avoid certain pitfalls.
When these changes came into effect, we conducted a snapshot poll of the people who either had a Home Care Package themselves or helped a family member manage their package. Nearly half (48 per cent) of the people we spoke to said they weren’t aware of the upcoming changes or, had heard something about it but didn’t really understand it.
A quarter of respondents said they were likely to change their care provider. Are the remainder happy with their current care or do they simply not know enough about how these changes could benefit them?
The devil is in the detail, or so the saying goes. And this could certainly be the case for consumers who are not aware of some providers’ Home Care Package costs, which could see up to half of their funds disappearing in administration, case management and exit fees.
With no maximum cap on the fees a provider can charge, providers are taking up to 50 per cent of the package funds in fees.
At Absolute Care & Health, we’ve been providing privately funded in-home care for long enough to know we don’t need high administration or case management fees to provide high-quality care. So we only charge a 10 per cent administration fee and no case management fee. Meaning that at least 90 per cent of your Home Care Package funds are spent on actual services and care hours.
Nor do we believe in Exit Fees – a charge that providers are allowed to take from an individual’s Home Care Package funds if they have decided to move to a new provider. We firmly believe that it is our quality of care that should keep our clients choosing our services, not high exit fees. And we’re putting our money where our mouth is on that, with zero exit fees.
It is now obligatory for providers to publish their maximum exit fees on the My Aged Care website. These are coming in at around $500 – $700.
Switching to another provider may seem difficult, but it’s actually easy, and you won’t lose any funds you may have saved up.
Simply request a free copy of our ‘Six Steps to Switching’ guide to and out how easy it is to compare care providers and get more quality care (and less fees!) from your Home Care Package.
Call us now on 03 98278899 for your free guide or visit us at www.absolutecarehealth.com.au
Available in Victoria only
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