The Prime Minister continues to show just how out of touch he is with Australia’s health needs by ignoring the advice of just about every health expert and professionals to dump the GP Tax.
In an extraordinary performance on the ABC last night he twice insisted the GP Tax was “good” policy.
Mr Abbott, the facts are the GP Tax is bad for patients, bad for doctors, bad for the health system and bad for the Budget.
As the AMA has noted, the GP Tax is nothing but a cash grab, which rips money off patients, doctors and the health system:
“The Government’s $7 co-payment takes money out of health care, including general practice, almost $4 billion in fact, and asks patients to contribute those funds.”
AMA President Brian Owler, 27 August 2014
Far from being “good” health policy, the GP Tax will force patients to skip important medical appointments, leading to even worse, and more expensive health problems:
“There is good evidence to suggest that there is a negative economic impact with patients using more expensive health care through the hospital system that could be delivered by general practice at a fraction of the cost.”
RACGP evidence to Senate Out of Pocket Health Expenses Inquiry
Far from being “good” policy, all the experts agree the GP Tax is a disaster for both the health system and the Budget.
That’s why Labor opposes the GP Tax and why a government genuinely committed to a decent, universal and sustainable health system would axe the GP Tax.