This is not a new concept, but after the Royal Commission into Aged Care, there has been an increase to the number of providers promoting themselves as a self-management option.

What is a self-managed Home Care Package?

Once you have received care and services from a Home Care Provider, there are two main roles they will perform for you-

• Manage your package funds
• Manage your care

These fees may be charged separate or as a lump sum together, but what exactly are these different fees?

1. Package Management – this describes the way a provider’s work with the government to manage your funds on your behalf. However, regardless of whether you are self-managed or not, a provider will still manage these funds to pay for your care, all providers charge a Package management fee.
2. Care Management – this service is provided to you to make sure you are getting the most out of your Home Care Package care and services. Healthcare Australia provides full care management through our care and support coordinators. You can see a full breakdown of our services and charges here: https://healthcareaustralia.com.au/services/aged-care/

What does self-management mean?

If you decide to self-manage, you won’t have to pay the “Care management fee” but you may receive little to no support and will have to do most, if not all of, the work for yourself. People may choose to take on self-management if they have very basic care needs and are happy to do the extra work themselves.

Self-management also means you will need to find your own workers and negotiate prices with them. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that you will secure service workers for a lower price than an experienced and knowledgeable Care Manager. Healthcare Australia has a full breakdown of our services and charges here: https://healthcareaustralia.com.au/services/aged-care/

Why a provider managed fund may work for you

When you have a provider managed fund, you will be allocated a Care Manager from your provider whereas if you choose to self-manage, you are taking on the role of Care Manager yourself. You may receive little to no support if you self-manage, and this can be very daunting.

You will have to manage Support Workers almost completely by yourself, making sure they are charging you fairly and are the best person for the job. You will need to replace the worker if they want to stop working for any reason.

When you have a Care Manager working for you as a part of a provider-managed package, they will be responsible for ensuring that your package funds are used in the most cost-effective way. They will ensure you don’t miss anything that may lead to not being reimbursed if the services don’t meet government criteria.

Important things to be aware of with self-management

1. High package management fees
   Even though several providers claim self-management has ‘one low fee’, the fees charged for the administration of your package management can be extremely high. Healthcare Australia provides full care management through our care and support coordinators. You can see a breakdown of our services and charges here: https://healthcareaustralia.com.au/services/aged-care/

Below is the table for our fee structure at Healthcare Australia. They are some of the most competitive fees around, and we always endeavour you are getting the most out of your funding.