Support at Home: advocating for a Smoother Transition

In December 2024, following advocacy by CHA, the Government announced positive changes to the implementation roadmap of the Support at Home Program.

Starting 1 July 2025, the IHACPA-designated price list (to be released in March 2025) will serve as a benchmark for pricing. Providers will continue to charge their own prices through 1 July 2026, with IHACPA monitoring pricing trends in the sector from early 2025 through to mid-2026. This will allow IHACPA to assess the appropriateness of its pricing before the expected introduction of price caps on 1 July 2026.

Using pricing benchmarks instead of price caps for the first 12 months will allow the sector to focus on delivering high-quality care that aligns with the preferences of older Australians, while ensuring pricing reflects the true cost of providing in-home services. This flexible approach will be more effective than the originally planned price caps in achieving the ambitious goals of the Aged Care Act, which seeks to significantly increase access to high-quality in-home aged care services in the coming years.

These changes will help ensure the financial viability of providers during this period of significant transformation, protecting both older Australians and providers. The Government has committed to consulting with providers and consumers on measures to ensure that any price increases are fair and reasonable. Additionally, the Department of Health and Aged Care has begun surveying providers to gauge how they plan to price Support at Home services. CHA is actively supporting its members in this process.

For several months, CHA and its members have campaigned for a shift to benchmarking for at least the first year of the Support at Home program. CHA also led efforts for IHACPA to observe a period of price monitoring, or “shadow pricing,” to refine its data and pricing models.

Alex Lynch is Director of Public Health and In Home Support Policy at Catholic Health Australia