Catherine King

Catherine King

CATHERINE KING MP
Federal Member Ballarat
Shadow Minister Infrastructure, Transport & Regional Development

T (03) 5338 8123
Email: Catherine.King.MP@aph.gov.au

Catherine King MP
Electorate Office
5 Lydiard Street North
Ballarat, VIC 3350

Bacchus Marsh
(every Friday from 10am to 3pm)
Lerderderg Library
Geoffrey Hine Room
215 Main Street
Bacchus Marsh, VIC 3340

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Sunday, 19 June 2016 / Published in MEDIA

LABOR WILL REVERSE CUTS TO MEDICARE FOR PATHOLOGY AND IMAGING

A Shorten Labor Government will reverse Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to bulk billing incentives for pathology and diagnostic imaging.

In the 2015-16 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, Mr Turnbull cut $650 million from Medicare for vital tests and scans.

Mr Turnbull’s cuts come in spite of the overwhelming evidence that Labor’s incentives are achieving their aim of maintaining or increasing bulk billing. In diagnostic imaging, for example, bulk billing rates rose 10 points in just six years thanks to Labor’s measure.

Labor’s measures give pathologists and radiologists a specific incentive to bulk bill. Without it, bulk billing will fall, co-payments will rise, and patients will be forced to pay more for tests and scans – or skip them altogether.

This would mean worse health outcomes for patients and higher costs to our health system. It is vital that patients are not turned away from care based on their ability to pay.

Only Labor will protect Medicare – ending the Liberals’ $20 a visit GP tax, reversing cuts to the Medicare Safety Nets and by legislating to keep Medicare in public hands in our first 100 days in office. Only Labor will keep medicines affordable through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

The independent Parliamentary Budget Office has costed Labor’s policy of reversing Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts at $884.2 million over the forward estimates, and $2.9 billion over the decade to 2026-27.

If you want to save Medicare, vote Labor.

For more details on Labor’s positive plans, please visit: www.100positivepolicies.org.au/strengthening_medicare_pathology_and_diagnostic_imaging_fact_sheet

Tagged under: 2016

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© Catherine King. Authorised by Catherine King, Australian Labor Party, Canberra

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