Media Release
Monday, 24 May 2004
TAXES AND LIES AS MEDICARE DIES
“The Howard Government’s $21 million advertising campaign paid for by our patients is an insult to them as they struggle to afford the ever increasing out of pocket costs and inadequate services this Government has given them”. said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society. “That taxpayer money is being spent promoting the murder of Medicare, under the dishonest label `Strengthening Medicare’, whilst our patients see daily the evidence of Medicare dying a slow death, and we know this means some of our patients are dying the same death”.
“Patients are seeing doctors throughout Australia less often,” said Dr Woodruff, “with 6 million less GP attendances per year since this Government came to power. Patients are faced with ever increasing out of pocket expenses to see GPs and specialists and the best the Government can do is provide a safety net which will lead to a cost blowout in the health budget as doctors see the Government is prepared to cover whatever they charge.”, said Dr Woodruff.
“$100 to get a GP to visit a patient in a nursing home, $50 for an X-ray, $70 to see a specialist. They are the out of pocket costs our patients face now. The costs will only rise. It’s cold comfort for our patients to be reassured by this propaganda that access to the rebate will continue when they know that the rebate won’t even pay half the fee”.
“But the insults for our patients only get worse, said Dr Woodruff. “Somewhere the Government has found enough money to give everyone struggling on $150,000 per year a $2195 per year bonus tax cut. That will include John Howard and the Minister for Health, or is it the Minister for Wealth, Tony Abbott. That little bonus for being well heeled will cost $ 3.8 billion over two years, twice as much as the Government is prepared to invest in helping our patients over the next two years.”
“Medicare is dying. So are our patients. All we are getting is taxpayer funded propaganda and tax cuts for the better off”
Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society
|
Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society
|
Dr Tracy Schrader Vice President Doctors Reform Society
|
Back to
Media
Releases
[
Doctors Reform Society of Australia
home page]
[
About DRS
] [
Search
] [
What's
New ]
[
Policies
] [
Media
Releases ] [
Published Letters ]
[
Online
articles ]
[
New
Doctor: Journal of the DRS ]
[
Discussion Board ] [
Contacting DRS
] [
Joining
DRS ] [
Links
]