media releases

The Prime Minister’s assurance that he is not intending to privatise Medicare must be questioned. His policies are making it harder for our patients to get decent health care. Privatisation by stealth is here. He already plans to privatise the Medicare payments system. His claims simply do not ring true, said Dr Peter Davoren, President, Doctors Reform Society.

Our patients who are struggling to access best health care simply don’t seem to matter. Prime Minister Turnbull’s government has slashed funding for public hospitals, for dental care, and for access to both GPs and specialists. Whilst his stated intention is to retain Medicare he wants it to be a miserable safety net for the desperate and poor. We want it to be what it was intended to be, a health system for all, irrespective of wealth, credit card status, bank balance, and the like.

Many patients would struggle to afford the copayments he feels they should pay. People can wait for years for life changing surgery (eg joint replacements, cataract surgery) whilst those who can afford private health insurance have such surgery within months of needing it. Patients suffer because this Government wants to privatise and Americanise our health system so that a healthy credit card is the only requirement to access best health care.

The Prime Minister’s claim that this is only about privatising the payment system is laughable. His Government has indicated it wants private health insurance (PHI) to play a bigger part in funding our health system. PHI ignores the most sick and vulnerable. So does the Government. Any policies which promote privatisation and increased involvement of the PHI industry, whether for the payment system or for GP services or hospitals, are concerned only for those who can afford PHI, the rich minority of the population.