Crackdown on serial aged-care rorters set to save $62m

Rosie Lewis reporting for The Australian Aged-care providers caught making repeated false claims for government subsidies will be slapped with new fines of more than $10,000 as the Coalition moves to crack down on rorters.

The government expects to save $61.9 million over the forward estimates by imposing fines and a “stronger compliance regime” on service providers, including updating audit processes and systems to target “high-risk” claimants.

Health Minister Sussan Ley said the “tough” fine for incorrect or false claims would be worth $10,800 per offence to ensure it had “teeth”.

Another $472.4m will be cut from the Aged Care Funding Instrument, which subsidises providers to deliver care services for residents based on their level of need. Read on.