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Mr Hunt said that the system would not result in a price shift for processes, but that it would enable the consumer to see more clearly what their policy is. "We don't alter guidelines, we categorize them so that everyone can see what is inside and what is outside. "They are not meant to reduce the costs of private health care at all, and that is part of the problem," she said to reporters in Melbourne.

"Rather than continually anticipating Australia's consumer and their customer to buckle their waist tighter, private health insurers will first pull their waist tighter," she said.

Poorest health policy called "junk policies

AUSTRALIA' s most valueless health insurers were mentioned in a bubble survey conducted by the Dutch health care industry as belonging to the category "Choice". Election speaker Tom Godfrey urged the federal government to take action against what he saw as "a squandering of resources for private individuals and taxpayers". "It is particularly worrying that some health insurers are bragging about the prevalence of these "junk" policies and know that they provide insufficient coverage," Mr Godfrey said.

Chôice has identify "junk" policies that address only a very small number of processes such as trauma, dental care, appendectomies, leg examinations and reconstruction, but rule out all other service and illness. Premium pairs before discount, until 31 March 2016: "Junk insurance" covering only emergency and rescue personnel, excluding all other benefits and illnesses:

Godfrey said it was "ridiculous" for consumer to be paying tens of millions for policies just to turn to the state system when they got ill. "While not all health care users can buy the highest quality health care, they should not spend on health care with no net value," he said.

It urged the federal authorities to rethink the justification of "junk" insurances for private health discount or Medicare Levy Surcharge and Lifetime Health Cover Surcharge exemptions. Last weekend the AMA published its first private health care report card, which revealed that many policies on the open medical care markets would not "provide the coverage expected by the consumer when they need it".

Prof. Owler said that policies sometimes carry deceptive designations, meaning that they offer a very high level of service, but in fact they come under the "basic" heading and offer only a base of services. Sussan Ley, Federal Health Minister, has committed herself to a more "transparent" health care system as over 40,000 Australians have participated in the government's on-line poll.

Whilst pointing out a possible prohibition on junkies, Ms Ley announced a broad consultative process with business before taking any decision. Rachel David, CEO of Private Healthcare Australia, said that health insurers are "working in close cooperation with the government" to increase visibility. "They offer less expensive measures aimed at younger, price-conscious customers and proportionate to their levels of exposure.

Shaun Larkin, HCF director, said the insurer's accident coverage, which is on Choice's June 2010 junklist, "is available on demand, but is not a policy that we are marketing to clients. Larkin said the policies, which accounted for less than 0.3 percent of HCF's book, were not published on HCF's website or in booklets.

"It' s noteworthy that in the March Choice Magazines, HCF's Premium Hospital and Basic Hospital guidelines were ranked as top performing in their respective category by HCF; guidelines that we proactively encourage among consumers," he said. Medibank spokesperson said there was "no single health care plan, so we are offering a variety of health care products".

"The Young Hospital covers and our accident-only covers are specifically for our younger members, who are usually physically and mentally alert, but want private health insurance in the unlikely case of an accident," the spokesperson said. Said NIB's Basic Hospital Policies, which are on Choice's June Lists, are "a good choice for those seeking affordability.