FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FORCES 500,000 PEOPLE OUT OF PRIVATE HEALTH SYSTEM INTO THE PUBLIC SYSTEM
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock MP, said today that an estimated 500,000 Australians will drop private health insurance as a result of the Senate passing the Medicare Levy Surcharge Bill putting massive additional pressure on an already overburdened public system.
‘Those leaving health insurance will take $2.5 billion in contributions out of the health system, putting huge additional funding pressure on public hospitals,” Mr Ruddock said.
“This is a massive cost shift form the Commonwealth and the currently privately insured to the States and Territories.
“Ten million Australians will see additional increases in their private health insurance premiums as a result of this legislation.
“One million Australians on incomes of less than $50,0000 per year with private health insurance will have additional premium increases or be forced into the public system,” Philip Ruddock said.
Note: Berowra has the second highest private health cover in Australia (the Federal seat of Bradfield having the highest) at 70% of private health insurance cover when statistics were noted in 2005.