CRUEL CUTS TO MEDICARE REBATES FOR CATARACT TREATMENTS
The Member for Berowra, Philip Ruddock said today that the Federal government’s changes to Medicare rebates will affect many constituents for cataract treatments where it reached new heights yesterday.
“The Federal Minister refused to comply with a Senate order requiring her to reveal the legal advice she relied upon to claim a Coalition Bill to restore the rebates to their original levels was unconstitutional,” Mr Ruddock said.
In doing so the Minister broke a commitment made to Parliament that she was “happy” to make the legal opinion public.
The Minister used the so-called legal advice to prevent debate on the Coalition Bill in the House of Representatives on October 29.
At the time she told Parliament: “We are happy to provide that legal advice.”
The Senate took the Minister at her word and ordered that she table the legal advice and last evening she refused.
Minister Roxon used a weak excuse that the Government couldn’t make its advice public because “it could prejudice the Commonwealth’s position in the event of future legal proceedings”.
In a further embarrassment to the Health Minister, the Coalition tabled independent legal advice which also indicated the Minister and the Rudd Government didn’t have a leg to stand on.
“With all this legal backward and forwarding what has the Government got to hide?” The Coalition warned the Government that it had a week to reverse its decision to slash rebates for cataract surgery and to alleviate widespread concern in the community about the Rudd Government’s decisions.
“We have given notice that we will disallow these harsh measures which are forcing senior Australians to pay hundreds of dollars more for a life-changing treatment than they did a month ago.”
“The Senate will deal with the disallowance motion next Wednesday, if the Government persists in punishing cataract patients,” Mr Ruddock said.