$432 million and counting – true cost of federal aged care failures revealed

The Federal Government’s continued failure to help stranded patients will cost Tasmania’s health system an estimated $432 million over the forward estimates, putting significant pressure on the State’s health budget.

Minister for Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Bridget Archer said this is a national crisis with more than 3,600 patients currently stranded in public hospitals across Australia. This is up from more than 2,700 in mid-2025.

“In Tasmania, the number of patients stranded in aged care alone has nearly doubled in the past two years, from 41 to 78 patients,” Minister Archer said.

“These are Tasmanians stuck in hospital beds who should be receiving care in appropriate aged care, but through no fault of their own are stranded in hospital beds because the Federal Government has not given them a place to go.

“These Tasmanians are not statistics. They are Tasmanians who deserve dignity, compassion and a proper place to recover, and this growing national crisis demands an immediate response from the Federal Government."

The Department of Health has estimated there will be an average of 127 stranded patients across our hospitals per day in 2026–27, including around 100 patients per day awaiting an aged care placement and 27 patients per day awaiting a NDIS package.

The estimated costs of providing care for these patients in Tasmania’s public hospitals in 2026–27 is $108 million, which is $432 million across the forward estimates.

“That’s $432 million that should be invested into other areas but can’t, due to the Commonwealth’s ongoing lack of action,” Minister Archer said.

“Most importantly though, this has a real human impact on Tasmanians who are ready to leave hospital but are stuck, sometimes for weeks and even months at a time - as well as reducing our ability to use beds for elective surgeries and resulting in longer wait times in emergency departments.

“The Tasmanian Government is continuing to provide high-quality care to patients, but the growing number of people unable to leave hospital because they are waiting for Commonwealth support is placing unacceptable pressure on our entire health system.

“We again call on Labor and the Greens to stop running cover for Canberra and join us in calling for urgent action to address this crisis.“