GrodsCorp

Health choices

Saturday 10 May 2008, 5:23 pm

The Editor

Categories: Health, Politics

Tags: BrendanNelson, LiberalParty, Medicare, PrivateHealthInsurance

One of the things that most Australians would agree on is that this country should have a decent public health system that is more than just a safety net, with a private health system available for those who choose to use it and are capable of paying. We shudder at the thought of an “Americanised” health system where one’s access to the health system is contingent upon the ability to pay.

The Howard Liberal government (the party of “choice”, remember) tried very hard in its eleven years to maximise the number of people with private health insurance by making it uneconomical to do otherwise. The taxpayer now subsidises 35% of private health insurance premiums, there is a penalty for not taking out health insurance before the age of 31, and taxpayers without private health pay a sizeable levy towards Medicare when they earn over $50,000.

But the Rudd government today announced that the Medicare levy threshold would be increased for the first time since 1997.

Under the current system, middle-income earners pay an average levy of $600 if they are not privately insured and the changes will see the threshold increased to $100,000 for singles and $150,000 for couples.

Ms Roxon says the threshold has not been adjusted to keep pace with wages since it was set in 1997.

“At that time when the threshold was $50,000 a year, average wages were well under that at around $34,000 a year,” she said.

“Now you can be earning less than the average wage and still be hit by the Howard government’s threshold. We don’t think that’s fair.”

Of course the opposition has opposed the move which they see as some sort of bizarre reverse discrimination.

Federal opposition leader Brendan Nelson says the Rudd government’s Medicare levy reforms are a cruel “con”.

Dr Nelson said the move to double the salary required before a taxpayer without private health insurance pays the levy would only have negative affects.

“There is absolutely no doubt that as a result of this fewer people will take up private health insurance,” Dr Nelson told reporters in Sydney today.

[…]

“The pensioners and battlers of this country, some of whom used to go without food to pay for their private health insurance, are now going to find they have to pay higher premiums,” Dr Nelson said.

I’m sorry, Brendan, but if the pensioners and battlers of this country are forced to go without food to pay for private health insurance because they’ve been given no choice by the Howard government then your party should be ashamed of itself. The health funds are starting to suggest that Medicare should be means tested but clearly many Australians who can’t afford health insurance already feel like they have no choice.

34 Comments

steve (Saturday 10 May 2008, 5:42 pm) #

The Costello era turned the anticipated tax return into an annual tax bill too, it always seemed that when the tax was worked out the medicare levy was still owed. About time it was reformed.
Krypto (Saturday 10 May 2008, 5:48 pm) #

what about a system that denies treatment to the super filthy mega rich? Like make it a de-registerable offence to even take the temperature or apply a band-aid to the likes of James Packer et al.
I’d like to see that.
Wah (Saturday 10 May 2008, 5:57 pm) #

Nelson should know about this sort of thing - I hear he was a doctor.
Krypto (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:14 pm) #

where’d you hear that Wah? really? is he really a doctor? I heard he was a doctor etc. etc.
Damian (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:20 pm) #

“The pensioners and battlers of this country, some of whom used to go without food to pay for their private health insurance…”

Name just ten, Brendan.
steve (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:29 pm) #

John, Brendan, Tony, Mal, Alexander, Peter, Malcom, Julie, Warren, used to cry about their rising expenses at each cabinet meeting, Damien.
Damian (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:33 pm) #

True enough, Steve. I remember seeing Lexie at a Kingston cafe not long ago. He was sipping chardy, but there was no food on the table. HE WENT WITHOUT!
steve (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:38 pm) #

Now that Tony Abbott is mortgage stressed he’s fading away to a shadow too.
summers (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:45 pm) #

Wishful thinking I suspect. But if the Liberals had their way I’m sure this would have been the case.
cosmicjester (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:52 pm) #

i wouldnt mind forever banishing the terms “working families” and “battlers” from the political lexicon.
battlers on private health insurance, thats a new one brendan
Krypto (Saturday 10 May 2008, 6:58 pm) #

you know I walked past a car the other day, I noticed the Liberal party logo on a bumper sticker in the back window. As I went back to key the bastard I noticed underneath the logo it said “Liable”.
Faith in humanity restored.
Terry Wright (Saturday 10 May 2008, 7:13 pm) #

Quick, ring Michael Moore!
steve (Saturday 10 May 2008, 7:30 pm) #

“Quick, ring Michael Moore!”

Has Michael Moore got cheap health insurance for battlers?
philip travers (Saturday 10 May 2008, 8:19 pm) #

I think the theory of having all doctors be clowns,has reached its final destiny.Can we hear the song you wrote on this subject Brendan,and play it on your Fender.What about a little Jimmy Hendricks!?
Bron (Saturday 10 May 2008, 8:48 pm) #

Or Carlos Santana.
steve (Saturday 10 May 2008, 9:09 pm) #

Looks like doctor Nelson is going to need a doctor himself shortly with the Queensland libs splitting and threatening to form a new party. It’s sure to create a huge headache for Nelson.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/merger-set-to-split-qld-liberals/2008/05/10/1210131327872.html
Montague "pitty-pat" Smythe-JeJones (Saturday 10 May 2008, 9:23 pm) #

It is such a swindle to be forced to subsidize inefficient private sector companies.

It is so good to see the little turd’s “legacy” being dismantled. Makes me almost want to sing the HBA earworm.

♪♫♫ I feel better now, so much better now… ♫♫♪♪
steve (Saturday 10 May 2008, 10:06 pm) #

“An obvious step to start with is to stop giving free health care to richer people.”

Especially when the wealthy are more likely to spend more time in hospital for more minor ailments.
Krypto (Saturday 10 May 2008, 11:14 pm) #

well it’s no wonder they spend so much time in private hospital, have you seen the wine list?

I’ve actually worked in both the private and public health systems, obviously I prefered public because I felt what I was doing mattered more (mostly).
Working in private hospitals is mostly what I used to call “chicken soup nursing”, you spend most of your time running around playing opium waiter and offering soothing platitudes to the spoilt and over-indulged.
Day 28 post operative tonsillectomy patients and the like.
It’s private not public health that is the leech on the arse of the Australian taxpayer.
Damian (Saturday 10 May 2008, 11:26 pm) #

philip,what are you doing here?
brerrabbit (Sunday 11 May 2008, 7:59 am) #

When unions demand the government do something, the Libs talk about ‘favoured minority groups’.
When the private health sector or private schools put their hands out, it’s ’supporting choice.’.

I’m surprised, BTW, that noone has pointed out how much harder this will make life for the average mum and dad trying to put petrol in the car (on Tuesdays) whilst buying groceries and paying their mortgage AND paying for their private health insurance.

And did anyone mention that Nelson is a doctor?
steve (Sunday 11 May 2008, 12:44 pm) #

Perhaps coles and Woolies servos could offer 4 cents off per hospital visit as they rip of the customer for petrol and groceries.
junaman (Sunday 11 May 2008, 12:48 pm) #

Dr Nelson said the move to double the salary required before a taxpayer without private health insurance pays the levy would only have negative affects.

The noun in this case should be “effects”.
steve (Sunday 11 May 2008, 12:54 pm) #

Junaman, I think that would be because Nelson is a doctor and not a schoolteacher.
steve (Sunday 11 May 2008, 1:01 pm) #

Just wait till Nelson delivers the Budget in Reply speech this week. It will be a pearler followed by the disclaimer that I am not an economist, or a teacher but merely a doctor.
cosmicjester (Sunday 11 May 2008, 1:16 pm) #

agreed, nelsons reply will be a giggle. he has already says he supports an increase in the age pension (not the disabled, the elderly vote liberal when they are told) government protection for caravan parks, handouts for piggeries, baby bonuses for millionaires. he is going to look like a cheap populist, which is ironic as he is about as popular ar herpes
Damian (Sunday 11 May 2008, 1:20 pm) #

I reckon the budget reply will be a great opportunity for some “you watch” action.
steve (Sunday 11 May 2008, 1:52 pm) #

After the Budget reply speech the other Libs will take him out the back and tell him he’s sacked. It won’t worry him though because he always has doctoring to fall back on if things get desperate.
Damian (Sunday 11 May 2008, 1:58 pm) #

Steve, if “things get desperate” he’ll just go without food.
steve (Sunday 11 May 2008, 3:28 pm) #

Here’s some graphs showing he has lost his support base if not his lunchbox.

http://possumcomitatus.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/nelson-the-future-eater-dining-on-the-base-vote-a-la-carte/
Krypto (Sunday 11 May 2008, 3:51 pm) #

was Nelson by chance a proctologist when he practiced medicine?
Like Nelson, a proctologist is a doctor who starts at the bottom and stays there.

Badump-ching.
Zombie Mao (Sunday 11 May 2008, 6:55 pm) #

Its strange how the ‘Private’ Health insures hate this cause they may lose some government funding.

What part of private enterprise did they not understand?

You give people choice and all hell breaks lose.

Lets go back to the days of the communist howard government.
Just Me (Monday 12 May 2008, 4:21 pm) #

Like Krypto, I have worked in the private and public health systems. It is one of the life experiences that pushed me towards the left(ish) side of the political spectrum.

I have nothing but contempt for the private health insurance industry, (which is really what we are talking about here, not private practice by doctors). They are lying, thieving parasites on the community. Their inefficiencies and greed are staggering, and the self-deluding corporate-socialist welfare mentality is as strong there as in any sector of business. A viable independent commercial activity they are most definitely not.

If people wish to take out private health insurance, fine by me, but they should get not a penny of state assistance to do it.
Damian (Monday 12 May 2008, 4:49 pm) #

That’s a real gem of a comment from Just Me. Tell it straight!