The Abbott Government must immediately rule out moves by health insurance companies to expand their reach into general practice.
The managing director of the newly privatised Medibank Private has told Fairfax newspapers he is “optimistic” the federal government will allow GP visits to be covered by insurers.
George Savvides said he is "sure" of getting a "positive reception around Private Health Insurance Act reform" from Health Minister Sussan Ley to lift the ban on insurers covering non-hospital based primary care.
Labor has long warned that the Abbott Government’s intention is to dismantle Medicare and now that warning is being realised.
Allowing private health insurers to enter general practice would create a two-tiered health system with health insurance members able to jump the queue.
It would also open the door to US-style managed care, with health insurers able to interfere in the relationship between doctors and patients.
It comes on the back of the government’s decision to abolish all 61 Medicare Locals that are run and operated by community not for profit boards, and allow health insurance companies to bid for control of the smaller number of Primary Health Networks due to replace them in July.
This is a deeply disturbing move, which sadly, confirms yet again, this government’s determination to destroy Medicare by any means.
After gutting $57 billion out of public hospitals in last year’s Budget, the government is pressing ahead with plans to introduce a GP Tax to rip $1.3 billion out of doctors’ incomes, undermine bulk billing and place a barrier between GPs and their patients.
The Health Minister must immediately rebuff today’s move by the newly privatised Medibank Private, or it will confirm the Abbott Government is intent on privatising Medicare and ending universal healthcare in Australia.