Our approach to a sustainable health system
We’re helping to shape a more sustainable health system that can support the best health and wellbeing for Australians through prevention and high-quality, affordable care. We invest in health and medical research, support community health initiatives and are committed to adressing health equity and reducing loneliness by promoting the importance of social connections. For details about our progress against our sustainability commitments under our sustainable health system focus area, and a glossary of key terms used here, refer to our ESG databooks.
Our ambition to improve the sustainability of the health system is guided by our material topics and commitments:
Work together to build a stronger and more sustainable health system
- Expand personlised models of care to assist with the health transition
- Advocate for policies and reform to improve health system sustainability
Support healthy communities
- Build research partnerships that contribute to Medibank's vision to achieve the best health and wellbeing for Australia
- Engage with our community to promote better health and wellbeing
Work together to build a stronger and more sustainable health system
Expand personalised models of care to assist with the health transition
Medibank is helping to drive Australia’s health transition by investing in prevention, primary care, virtual and in-home care to deliver more value, choice and control. Through collaboration with healthcare professionals, we are building more connected, personalised care models and working to ensure healthcare is affordable and accessible for our customers and community.
There is a role for personalised models of care for people at all levels of interaction with the health system – from prevention to post hospital treatment. We’re investing in primary care as the foundation of our health system, with trials with general practitioners (GPs), together with the support of multi-disciplinary clinical teams, playing a vital role in prevention, early intervention and connection to ongoing care in the community.
We believe that more care should be delivered in the home. It is more convenient, personalised and is a lower cost to our health system. An independent KPMG report commissioned by Medibank examining the potential economic benefits of expanding hospital care in the home in Australia by 2030 found that nearly a third of all hospital-treated conditions could be managed at home. Research in the European Heart Journal investigated the importance of home-based cardiac rehabilitation, with the research findings underscoring the value of home-based programs.
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Advocate for policies and reforms to improve health system sustainability
We advocate for policies and reforms that improve health outcomes and strengthen health system sustainability.
As a trusted voice in health policy and reform, Medibank works across government, industry and the broader health sector to identify and advance opportunities that deliver the greatest benefit for consumers and the health system.
Our policy engagement is grounded in a commitment to shaping a more sustainable, consumer-focused and innovative health system through constructive, evidence-based collaboration. We focus our efforts on areas where policy change can improve value, choice and control for consumers, while strengthening the long-term sustainability of Australia's health system.
We engage with governments of all levels, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, ministerial offices and other government agencies on key health policy priorities. These discussions focus on the future of private healthcare, primary care reform, prevention and the role of virtual and home-based care in improving access, enhancing consumer outcomes and supporting system sustainability.
To ensure our advocacy is informed by clinical expertise, we have established a Medical Reference Group comprising specialists from a broad range of disciplines. The group provides advice on emerging clinical trends, models of care and opportunities for reform.
We also work closely with think tanks, peak bodies, patient groups and healthcare providers to ensure our policy positions reflect the perspectives of the broader health sector. This includes ongoing engagement with organisations such as the Grattan Institute, Patients Australia, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), leading clinicians and professional associations.
Health policy priorities FY26
Support healthy communities
Build research partnerships that contribute to Medibank's vision to achieve the best health and wellbeing for Australia
The Medibank Better Health Research Hub prioritises research in areas that address the quintuple aims of healthcare: improving health outcomes, affordability, patient experience, health equity, and the wellbeing of healthcare workers. To learn more about the work of the Medibank Better Health Research Hub, head to their website.
Engage with our community to promote better health and wellbeing
Promoting better health and wellbeing helps our community thrive. Our approach to engaging with our community is focused on 3 priorities:
- Our 10-year commitment to addressing loneliness by promoting social connection and mental fitness.
- Enhancing employee engagement and wellbeing through community giving, fundraising and volunteering opportunities.
- Deepeening our impact on the health and wellbeing of our local communities.
As part of our 10-year commitment to address loneliness in Australia, we are working to build stronger, more connected communities. Through a range of initiatives, we are supporting a growing understanding of loneliness as a critical health issue and helping to facilitate stronger, more meaningful, social connections for Australians.
Medibank has renewed its partnership with peak body, Ending Loneliness Together. The partnership takes a preventative approach, reducing chronic loneliness before it leads to poorer health outcomes. The collaboration reflects a shared belief that tackling loneliness requires coordinated, cross-sector effort, and that no single organisation can do it alone.
A core focus is supporting people earlier, particularly during critical life stages, where connection and care matter most. This year, Medibank announced a new partnership with Mum Walk – a community initiative helping new mums build social connections through free, local mum-led walking groups. Our research showed that loneliness is a higher risk during identity shifts and major life transitions, such as becoming a parent. In the first six months of the partnership, Medibank supported Mum Walk to increase its network from 50 to 73 free, local walking groups nationally helping Mums step out of isolation and into a community that walks beside them. 20,000 Mums can now access Mum Walk (up from 15,000) and 90% have reported their sense of connection has improved since joining.
In partnership with Women’s Agenda, Medibank launched The Motherhood Index in 2026, a national report examining the lived experience of loneliness and connection during early motherhood in Australia. Drawing on national survey data and qualitative insights from mothers and health across the country, the Index explores how connection, support and social infrastructure affect mental and physical health during the early years of parenting.
We are proud to work with organisations facilitating social connection and in collaboration with Women’s Agenda, we launched The Connections Hub to spotlight grassroots groups fostering social connection and destigmatising loneliness.
We are also supporting young people with disability to participate in inclusive social connection initiatives with our Impact Partner Flying Fox’s Hangouts program. Together, we aim to create over 15,000 meaningful social connections over the next 3 years, helping to reduce loneliness and build stronger, more inclusive communities.
Medibank is also working with batyr in aim of supporting young people with the rising impact of loneliness and mental ill-health. batyr's model is evidence based, peer-led and grounded in the power of lived experience storytelling through face to face and digital programs. They educate and empower young people to have positive conversations about mental health and to act before crisis occurs.
We believe that supporting our communities through volunteering, fundraising and donating also enhances the wellbeing of our people. We encourage employees to contribute to causes they care about through our workplace giving platform, which makes it easy to support registered charities through regular payroll giving. To amplify their impact, we match employee donations dollar-for-dollar, up to $1,000 per year for each permanent employee.
We also provide community leave to support volunteering and community participation. Each year, employees also receive an additional three hours of community leave to clean up local areas together.
Throughout the year, our people contribute their time, skills and generosity to a wide range of causes. From volunteering in local communities and supporting charitable organisations through workplace giving, to donating blood and plasma through Lifeblood, our employees continue to make a positive impact in the communities where they live and work.
We’re continuing to explore meaningful ways to strengthen our impact on the health and wellbeing of our local communities.
Our long-standing relationship with the Aboriginal community in Wadeye, Northern Territory is one example of this commitment. Since 2012, we've engaged in collaborative health projects and cultural exchanges with the local community and more recently through a partnership with the Thamarrur Youth Indigenous Corporation (TYIC), focusing on co-designed initiatives that address community-identified health priorities. This community-led approach emphasises mutual respect, cultural learning and exchange, and two-way relationships where community leadership and priorities guide the work.
Our connection to community informs our support for initiatives such as Walk for Truth, which recognises the importance of truth-telling, listening and walking alongside First Nations communities. It reflects our broader commitment to reconciliation, cultural learning and strengthening relationships in a way that is led by community voice and grounded in respect.
You can read more about our relationship with Wadeye and TYIC in our 2022-2024 Reconciliation Action Plan Final Report.
Supporting Local Communties in FY26
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