Jensen: Rudd’s broken health insurance rebate promise will hurt working families
Dr Dennis Jensen The Rudd Government’s plan to means test the private health rebate is a broken election promise that hurts working families, says federal MP Dr Dennis Jensen (Tangey, WA).
With a Senate vote expected this week, Dr Jensen said that the impact of repealing the rebate would impact unfairly on single families already struggling with the rising cost of healthcare.
“A single Mum or Dad earning $75,000 dollars a year could find Private Healthcare unaffordable due to the loss of the private health rebate.
“Across the board families are facing cost of living stresses, especially interest rate rises and removing the rebate will be one more financial stress this Government puts on working families.
“We have a two tiered system of health care that works well, but if there is a sudden flood of people onto the public system, it breaks down.
“The plan will put further stress on a public health system that the Rudd government refuses to ‘reform’. The obvious next move for this Labor Government is an increase in the Medicare levy. Where is the incentive for Australians who do the right thing and take up private health cover? “said Dr Jensen.
The Government introduced its legislation into the senate for a second time giving them a double dissolution trigger and a broken election promise.
“The Government has been adding to the financial pressure on working families since it was elected. This broken election promise adds to a growing list of pressures on working Australia.
“I encourage people who are unhappy with the broken election promise of the Rudd Government to write to the Federal Minister for Health Nicola Roxon and demand an explanation for why they feel they can break an election promise,” Dr Jensen said.
