Pricing increases for therapy and care coming

Yep... if you didn't know already... you heard correctly!

Price increases are coming in July!!

Therapy services have been under significant pricing pressure for some time now... and we're sure everyone reading this post has experienced the discomfort in not getting access to the therapy you needed (no providers willing to interact with NDIS participants) with very low capacity... and decreasing all the time being the new norm.

Here are some examples of the changes:

For psychology, price limits will increase in ACT and NSW to $210/hr (currently $179/hr)

For physiotherapy, price limits will increase in ACT and NSW to $190/hr (currently also $179/hr).

The last 12 months has also evidences significant hardship in the supported care space both for assistance in daily living and community and social participation (both major components of core funding in plans). SchemeWise is hoping the care services (sometimes called attendant care) strains will also remediate sooner than later with a 15.4 per cent increase in base rate approved.

But we still have to wonder...? With a federal government wholly involved in the health sector and having major responsibility of aged care and veteran services there were major areas it could have looked to establish comparable costs and rates. But this seems not to have happened. One must ask why? What on earth could have gone so... wrong that the REAL costs of these services were NOT recognised sooner (like over the last three years) instead of just now? Why is it that we have services actively leaving the disability sector rather than growing? It beggars belief in SchemeWise view that one arm of government has absolutely no idea of what the other is doing.

However... we're also glad that some correction is coming... like next month on 1 July!! Its desperately needed. as a specialist support coordination business SchemeWise welcomes the potential to stabilise the services and market environment. But also a word tot he wise.... please ask yourself when is the government going to get serious about creating a table disability marketplace. If it keeps paying these kind of games then the NDIS is at total risk of failure. And the 'F' word... failure! does not presuppose a sustainable future at all. So... our advice.... lets see what happens the next few months... but if you are not finding things easier... vote with your voice... why not reach out and call or write your local parliamentary member and put the acid on them!