ABBOTT HIDING NEW HEALTH CUTS FROM CANNING VOTERS

Tony Abbott is hiding cuts to the Medicare Safety Net from the voters of Canning by delaying the introduction of his legislation into the Parliament.
 
Mr Abbott plans to rip $270 million from the Medicare Safety Net and slug cancer patients, families seeking IVF and those with chronic health conditions with even higher out of pocket costs.
 
Everyone remembers at the last by-election in Griffith, Tony Abbott swore he had absolutely no plans to introduce a GP tax – only to propose exactly that in his next Budget.
 
Health organisations had been briefed by government representatives that the Bill would be introduced into the Parliament in August.
 
But the proposals have now been put on hold until after the Canning by-election, leaving just five weeks of sittings to get them through both Houses of parliament.
 
The cuts to the Medicare Safety Net are due to come into effect on January 1, but despite being announced 16 months ago, are yet to be brought before the parliament.
 
The Fertility Society of Australia has warned the proposed changes will affect patients who are chronically ill requiring regular medical attendances and those patients who need access to higher cost medical interventions.
 
They warn the changes will particularly impact cancer patients, fertility patients, patients requiring higher cost imaging services and those needing regular access to psychiatric services.
 
Oncologists have warned the proposed changes could double out of pocket expenses for cancer patients while IVF clinics have warned some women could be forced to give up their chance of having a child, or opt for riskier multiple embryo implants.
 
Psychiatrists and psychotherapists have also warned the changes will force their most seriously ill patients to cut back on treatment.
 
These cuts to the Medicare Safety Net come on top of the more than $60 billion Tony Abbott has already cut from health in two Budgets, despite promising the night before the 2013 election there would be “no cuts to health”.
 
Labor introduced the Medicare Safety Nets in recognition that some patients need greater access to medical services, especially vulnerable groups like those with serious and costly medical issues at different times in their lives.
 
Voters in Canning deserve to know precisely what changes the Government is planning to the Medicare Safety Nets before Saturday’s poll so they can make an informed choice.
 
The Government should immediately table its proposed changes to the Medicare Safety Nets, and not ambush voters with a last minute attempt to rush the bills through Parliament.