Report explores Australian perceptions of Medtech access

The latest medical technology (Medtech) Australians believe they can access with private health insurance and what they can actually access has been explored in a new report. The report — ‘Australians on Medical Technology and the Future of Healthcare 2025’ — was released by Johnson & Johnson MedTech on 28 October 2025 and involved a nationally representative survey (conducted between August and September 2025).

On the Medtech Australians believe they can access compared with what they can actually access with private health insurance, the report reveals a “disconnect”. Additionally, while the survey shows Australians see medical technology as key to improving healthcare outcomes, more than 40% say the healthcare system is falling short in delivering Medtech that could improve care or efficiency for Australians.

Also revealed by the survey is that 86% of Australians assume private health insurance provides equal or greater access to the latest Medtech and that, if the latest technologies were available in public, but not private, hospitals, 44% would see less value in their private health insurance.

“The research shows that Australians believe access to Medtech innovation is fundamental to our world-class healthcare system,” said Sarah Najdek, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. “Hospitals are investing in Medtech innovation, such as robotic-assisted solutions designed to support outcomes and efficiency.

“However, the process for listing medical devices on the Prescribed List of Medical Devices and Human Tissues Products, which determines which products private health insurers must pay benefits for, can mean that in some areas Australians seeking care in private hospitals can face significant delays in accessing the latest Medtech, sometimes waiting years after patients in public hospitals have received these innovations.”

Also revealed in the report is that Australians rank the quality of the healthcare system as their top three priority, behind the cost of living in general and rivalling housing affordability concerns. Further, the report shows that fewer than half of Australians feel optimistic about the future of health care, and that optimism falls even lower in regional communities and for those without private health insurance.

Image credit: iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen