Malcolm Turnbull is as committed as ever to making Australians pay more for their vital tests, with confirmation his massive cuts to pathology remains a ticking time-bomb.
During the election, the Liberals engineered a short-term political stunt to hide their pathology cuts until the polls closed.
As reported today, the Government’s failure to implement a new regulatory regime for pathology rents will give patients a temporary reprieve from the cuts – which were due to take effect on Saturday.
Unfortunately, this Government remains determined to make cancer patients and others with chronic health conditions pay more for their vital tests, and the cuts could come into effect in only a month or two.
Malcolm Turnbull needs to drop these cuts entirely. The Government’s cuts to bulk billing incentives will impact vital pathology tests including blood tests, urine tests, swabs (such as pap smears) and biopsies.
Combined with his cuts to diagnostic imaging, patients could be left with hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars in up-front costs simply for vital scans and tests.
Malcolm Turnbull claimed to have learnt a lesson at the election – but the fact is, he has not reversed a single one of his health cuts which will attack bulk billing and increase out of pocket costs.
THURSDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2016