DOCTORS REFORM SOCIETY

DRS

Media Release

24 February 2010

Health Insurance Rise Further Kick in Guts to Taxpayers

 

 “The 6% rise in Private Health Insurance (PHI) premiums announced yesterday is a further $200 million per year hit on taxpayers, especially those 56% of Australians who will never receive any benefits because they can’t afford PHI,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“This is on top of the current $3.8 billion per year gifted to the PHI industry through the rebate,” said Dr Woodruff. “Even Treasury has told Cabinet last year that this is an inefficient use of funds but the Government persists in pursuing this unfair, discriminatory, and inefficient spending of taxpayers’ dollars”

“Means testing the rebate will only make this slightly less unfair and is no threat to PHI uptake,” said Dr Woodruff. “The biggest threat to PHI uptake would be for the Federal Government to properly fund the public hospitals so that people aren’t forced through fear to take out PHI they don’t really want.“

“It is disappointing that neither of the major political parties is putting the interests of the most needy patients ahead of vested financial and political interests,” said Dr Woodruff. “It’s time to use taxes for the public system which everyone can access and to stop kicking the majority of Australians in the guts by spending even more of their taxes to fund inequitable and inefficient policies.”