Medibank welcomes mental health election commitments

Medibank welcomes the recent commitments by both the Australian Labor Party and Coalition to improve mental health access and affordability for Australians.

Medibank Chief Executive Officer David Koczkar said the commitments from both parties will make a genuine difference for people with mental health concerns.

The Australian Labor Party has committed $1 billion for mental health while the Coalition has made a $400 million commitment to youth mental health in addition to its previous commitment of $500 million to double the Medicare mental health sessions.

“We welcome these significant commitments by both major parties to improve mental healthcare access, particularly for younger Australians who are struggling the most,” Mr Koczkar said.

“Mental health is an urgent national priority and it’s pleasing to see bipartisan support for such a crucial issue. These are landmark commitments that recognise the challenges in mental health.

“Our mental health system is at breaking point, in many parts it’s broken, and the number of people with mental ill-health is growing at an alarming rate.

“Almost half of us will face mental ill-health at some point in our life. For young people it’s worse than ever, with an alarming 50 per cent rise in the rate of mental ill-health.

“These election commitments by both major parties will help to address some of the gaps we see in the community to ensure there is better access to the right care at the right time.

“As one of the largest health companies in Australia, we see the human cost of the escalating mental health crisis and want to play a meaningful part of the solution.”

Medibank recently announced we are investing $50 million over the next five years into mental health with the aim of improving access, innovation and prevention for its customers.

Last month, Medibank and News Corp launched a mental health campaign called Can We Talk?. The News Corp editorial series in partnership with Medibank, is about helping families to build mental fitness and better tackle mental health in the home. The 4-month campaign is underpinned by research, data, insights and expert advice that families can start implementing immediately.