"Health Minister Michael Wooldridge's new measures supporting private health care are just more window dressing" said Dr Con Costa, National President of the Doctors Reform Society.

"They won't work.  It is impossible for patients to negotiate medical fees and doctor costs directly.  I remember spending half a morning with multiple phone calls to a surgeon's secretary on behalf of a patient.  I was eventually left with 'It depends on what the surgeon finds at the operation, how quickly the recovery period is and how many complications' " said Dr Costa.

"The simple fact is that the Federal Government has no power to legislate to control doctors costs and at the end of the day the surgeons are unlikely to co-operate  in any event" said Dr Costa.

"Private health care is dying because people are voting with their feet.  They prefer the simplicity and low cost of Medicare.  It would be far better cost wise and more democratic to follow the people's lead and properly fund Medicare rather than keep cutting costs" said Dr Costa.

"The Federal Government presently only contributes 1/3 of the cost of health care to the states and therefore is getting it very cheaply" said Dr Costa.

"Private health is a failed industry which is being bank-rolled with tax payers money.  The recent tax incentives for private health insurance by the Federal Government are costing $500 to $600 million a year but without any benefit to private or public patients.  Private beds in our public hospitals are subsidised to the tune of $200 a day by the tax payer.  Despite all this support, the private system remains in crisis" said Dr Costa.

"The Government should do the democratic thing and transfer its support to Medicare and the public hospital system instead of trying to introduce Australians to the concept of Mega expensive health care"said Dr Costa

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