CATHERINE KING MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HEALTH
MEMBER FOR BALLARAT
MEDIA RELEASE
GP TAX LIVES ON, MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA CONFIRMS
The Abbott Government remains committed to a GP Tax, with new research today
indicating the tax could rise every year, and be at least $8 within four years.
The research, published in the highly respected Medical Journal of Australia finds the
Abbott Government’s latest plan to slug patients could lead to even higher charges than
the original GP Tax.
Even though the rebate reduction has been retracted, the freeze will have
greater impact with time — nearly double the amount of the rebate reduction by
2017–18. For economic reasons, the freeze may still force GPs who currently
bulk bill to charge copayments.
“The Cost of Freezing General Practice” Medical Journal of Australia
In fact, the study finds that by 2017/18, the shortfall will leave GPs $8.43 worse off. As
the authors note in an opinion piece for The Conversation.
That’s a bigger shortfall than the now-abandoned A$5 rebate cut – and is likely
to prompt many GPs to start charging a co-payment.
“High cost of GP rebate freeze may see co-payments rise from the dead”
The Conversation, 23 March 2015
This confirms what Labor has repeatedly warned. Tony Abbott’s promise that the GP
Tax is dead is as believable as his promises before the election of no new taxes and no
cuts to health.
As Health Minister Sussan Ley made clear earlier this month, she is committed to
forcing down bulk billing by making more patients pay to see a doctor.
There are a lot of people who attend a doctor, who pay nothing who can afford
to pay a bit more and that's where we have to land in this discussion with the
medical profession.
Sussan Ley, 3AW, 3 March 2015
In Question Time last week the minister confirmed that the Government is looking at
achieving this by changing Medicare legislation to allow what is being referred to as
“direct billing”.
“Direct billing” would allow bulk-billed patients to be also charged ever increasing gap
payments.
It would impose an up-front charge between patients and their GP, destroying
Medicare’s universal health care.
All that’s changed is the language.
“Co-payment”, “price signal”, “value signal” or “direct billing”, it doesn’t matter what the
Government calls it, the end result is still the same – it’s still a GP Tax, it’s still an attack
on Medicare, and patients are still being hit for more.
MONDAY, 23 MARCH 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: STEPHEN SPENCER 0423 596 573