This means test will take money out of medical care.

This is just another example of Labor's poor economic management, and lies.

Can't let that one pass without comment csteele.

>>...the system gets a percentage of insurance premiums after the insurance companies have taken out their costs and profits and paid their shareholders dividends<<

There are presently only two Funds that pay dividends to shareholders: NIB, which is a public company, and has around 8% of the PHI market. The other is Medibank Private with 28% - they have one shareholder: the Australian Government, to whom they pay a physical dividend. Only last year, the government extracted a "special dividend" from them of $300 million.

BUPA is also "for profit", but they are financed by bondholders, i.e. debt, upon which they pay interest. The vast majority of the rest are "not for profit", and only keep enough to pay their staff and expenses. And, as you would expect, sufficient in the kitty to cover the fluctuations in service demand.

But the other misleading part is that it is actually the policyholder who is paying these costs. The bulk - $13 billion - goes to hospitals and providers within our health system. So as well as contributing substantially to the health system overall, they are keeping a lot of very nice people in employment.

Neither position, I believe, affects the legitimacy of a level of tax rebate for lower-paid citizens.

cssteel/quote..""To me the government..should be doing all it can
to prevent us going down the American path.""

that jonny howard took us on

""This latest measure..in a small way helps.""

i agree

pericules/quote...""This means test
will take money..out of medical care.""

out of a duplicated beurocracy
yeah..only admin..and form shufflers/acountants...lawyers
not..*actual 'health care*'

""This is just another example of Labor's
poor economic management,and lies.""

no its an extra 3 billion
joe hockey has to find

to add into his numbers*...lol

""..The vast majority..of the rest
are "not for profit",...lol

beurocrats/lawyers/accountants..form printers
UN_NEEDED duplication!

plus the extra hospital admin..for billing/etc
keep it simple..!

every extra hand..that dont heal you
is sending ya broke

i dont need docters
i dont go to hospital
i dont want to be forced..to pay 'insurance'..[protection money]
for a service..i wouldnt know how to use*

how come so many of ya are sick
cause you want some cash back?
from the blackmail..your forced to pay[under threat and penalty]

govt cant compulsory force us into contract
that it thinks it can..needs fixing

""and only keep enough
to pay their staff and expenses.""

their buildings their free lunches..their pensions
and not opne is a docter or SERVICE provider..of actual health prouct

""sufficient..in the kitty""

lol invested..into finance
not health

""to cover the fluctuations
in service demand.""

good one
how much they banked..this year alone?
money...*that wasnt spent..on health*!

"I would not know how much the medi care tax is now."

-Currently medicare-surcharge is 1% on top of the 1.5% medicare levy. The government now wants to increase it to 1.5% (both Greens and coalition oppose).

For most affected people, it's therefore cheaper to get a private-health-insurance, then not use it.

When the surcharge was introduced, I was not aware of it until a few days before the end of the financial year. Fortunately I found an insurer that was willing to insure me RETROACTIVELY for the past year -how ridiculous!

"If you want to finance your own medical bills, go ahead, i am sure you would not be pleased with the costs and charges"

-I already do because I don't use conventional medicine.

"An extra 700,000 people have joined private insurance since 2010."

-Sure, but not because they suddenly cared more for their health and how to pay for it. It was a direct result of the medicare-surcharge, otherwise they would be paying more in tax.

"I am not sure where you get making doctors rich from medi care comes from."

-from BOTH medicare AND private-health-insurance: usually once people already had to pay for the service, even while they didn't require it to begin with, then they might as well decide to use it, so doctors get more work and earn more, both from government and health-funds.

"Every body has medi care, or medi care and private. If you have none of that you should not be here."

Yes, everybody has Medicare AND all those with significant income have private-health-cover too because that's the law, but not everybody wants either. Some reasons for not wanting Medicare/PHI are:

1. Being healthy.
2. Using only alternative medicine.
3. Using medicines that are better, but not listed for their condition (being experimental or dearer).
4. Spending much of the year overseas (Medicare does not provide for overseas medical expenses).
5. Having a private doctor/specialist which is not part of the system.
6. Generally, people who can afford paying for their medical expenses are statistically better off financially WITHOUT medicare and PHI.

Dear Cesttele,

"I personally have no problem with the state paying the reasonable medical expenses of the wealthy if they are prepared to join the growing queue."

Isn't that wasteful?
Is it not OUR tax-money after all?
Why should the wealthy not pay (either in person or via their private-insurance if they choose to have one) when they visit a public doctor or hospital?

I have no problem with welfare, for those who cannot afford, but what's the rationale for those who can?

Using this money could, for example, provide dental care as well for those who cannot afford it!

"I think there is a sleight of hand happening when we drop the top tax rate then slug people with the Medicare surcharge."

Indeed. That's what I called "salt tax". The government is shy of calling it what it is - a tax, then it would have to face the voter and let them decide whether it's justified, so instead it weaves fairy-tales about it being "for my own good".

"To me the government should be doing all it can to prevent us going down the American path. This latest measure in a small way helps."

The American path is that people with no money, get no health care. They are kicked out of clinics and hospitals to die in the street. There was NEVER any suggestion resembling it or in that spirit from any Australian party.

Simply, I cannot believe that Australian Taxpayers were spending $1.2 b a year (this is what the Gov't will save), on subsidising the private health insurance bills of the upper middle class and the incomes of wealthy private medical practitioners, instead of using that money to fund a national dental health scheme.

The LNP with their historically abysmal record in this area, can only come up with misinformation, that frankly is closer to fraud as their case.

They've worn me down. Bring on the next election so we voters can obliterate them.