Clever. If bulk-billing had dropped, the Government could claim the ALP’s plan to raise the rebate $5 won't work. When bulk-billing rises, the Government claims their Medicare Plunder package is working. And indeed it is. Co-payments have increased by 6 per cent in 3 months. The transition of Medicare into a safety net for the poor will soon be attained. Next: public hospitals and schools.
The Australian
17 May 2004
Andrew Gunn
"Rising co-payments, declining Medicare"
If levels of Medicare bulk-billing had fallen, the government would hail it as proof that the ALP's plan to restore bulk-billing with a modest rebate rise was simplistic and doomed. When bulk-billing rises, the government says it proves its Medicare package is working. Co-payments by patients have risen 6% in 3 months. The transition of Medicare from universal insurance into a safety net for the poor will soon be attained.
The Courier Mail
17 May 2004
Andrew Gunn
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