The Minister for Health must stand up for families and not simply wave through her government’s third consecutive decade high rise in health insurance premiums.
Reports today indicate health insurers have lodged requests for a third consecutive rise above six per cent, a move that would add another $300 a year to the cost of premium for families.
This year’s rise was almost three times the inflation rate, adding around $200 to the cost of annual premium for family hospital cover.
At a time when health insurers have made a record $1.4 billion in profits, it’s hard to see how a rise four times the inflation rate can now be justified on top of this.
Both of the rises approved since the Coalition returned to power exceed any of the six annual increases approved under the ALP, when Labor put pressure on the health insurance sector to ensure the lowest possible premium rises.
Labor provided $1.4 million to increase the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman’s capacity to manage complaints and respond to consumer enquiries and $2.3 million to establish the Private Health Insurance Premiums and Competition Unit.
The Coalition, by contrast has sought to systematically downgrade all specialist oversight of health insurance and waved through successive above six per cent increases that are yet another slap in the face for families from a government determined to do anything it can to make health care more expensive.
This is a government which has slashed $57 billion from hospital funding, and then sought to hit families with a tax on visits to the GP, and extra charges for essential medicines.
It’s long past time the minister stood up to health insurers and only approved increases that can be fully justify as being in the best interest of health fund members.
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