[Greens-Media] Media Release - Build up Medicare, don’t tear it down: Greens

[Blyberg, Andrew (Sen R. Di Natale)]

Media Release

Dr Richard Di Natale
Greens Senator for Victoria

20/02/2014

Build up Medicare, don’t tear it down: Greens 

Australian Greens health spokesperson and former GP, Dr Richard Di Natale, said today that the Health Minister was misleading the public about a crisis in healthcare costs in order to dismantle Medicare.

“The Abbott Government’s plan to make you pay more to see a doctor is motivated entirely by ideology,” said Senator Di Natale.

“The Health Minister claims that health costs are spiralling out of control when in reality spending has increased only slightly as a proportion of GDP over the last decade.

“There is no evidence that this small increase is related to unnecessary GP visits, but rather it is a result of improving medical technology and an ageing population. Would anyone actually prefer that Australia doesn’t spend money on new and better treatments for things like cancer?

“Worse still, a co-payment may increase health spending rather than reduce it because some people will either present to their emergency department or would stay away from the doctor until their illness becomes more serious and requires costly hospital treatment. It emerged in a Senate hearing on Tuesday that these costs have not been factored in to the projected savings, making them utterly meaningless.

“User-pays health care takes Australia towards a two-tiered American style health system where many people simply can’t afford basic health care. It’s also much more expensive with the US spending twice what Australia does as a proportion of GDP, with much worse health outcomes. 

“People in Australia already contribute to our health system according to their means because high income earners pay higher taxes, and a single insurer like Medicare drives down costs.

“Don’t be fooled. Abbott Government’s campaign to steer Australia towards the US system is not about facts or figures, it’s about blind ideology. We should be looking at ways of building up Medicare, not tearing it down.”

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Media Contact: Andrew Blyberg 0457 901 600