15 february 2017 - The number of Australians with hospital cover continues to ­decline, adding pressure on the health insurance industry and the federal government to respond to value-for-money concerns.

Only days after Health Minister Greg Hunt announced premiums would rise by an average 4.84 per cent in April, figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority showed 7,785 people dumped their hospital cover in the December quarter.

The key indicator, the proportion of Australians with hospital cover, was 46.6% in the quarter, a 0.2 percentage point ­decline on the previous quarter and 0.6 percentage points down from the same quarter last year. The most recent peak was June 2015 with 47.4%. Cash-strapped members have sought to reduce their premiums by adding restrictions, exclusions and excess payments but may now be quitting altogether.

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