The Doctors Reform Society today condemned the Australian Health Insurance Association for trying to redirect public money to an inefficient private health insurance business. This only confuses people, particularly our patients, in the Federal Election, about Public Hospital waiting lists. The Doctors Reform Society challenges the Association’s spokesperson, Mr Schneider to debate the real health issues of the Election.

"The real problems of my patients are the problems due to underfunding of Public Hospitals. The Australian Health Insurance Association appears to be only interested in which political party will increase the number of people with Private Health Insurance" said Dr Theo van Lieshout, spokesperson for the Doctors Reform Society.

" Every patient on all the Public Hospital waiting lists throughout Australia could be treated over the next year if the $1.5 billion per year proposed by the Coalition Party as a Private Health Insurance subsidy was redirected to Public Hospitals" said Dr van Lieshout.

"I challenge the spokes person for the Australian Health Insurance Association Mr Schneider to a public debate to address the real health issues in the election which is underfunding of Public Hospitals and Medicare, not Private health insurance subsidies" said Dr van Lieshout.

authors/seconders: T van Lieshout, R Marr, A Gunn
14 September 1998