Health Minister Mark Butler is once again letting his state counterparts call the shots, as the New South Wales Labor Government pursues a tax on private health patients that could push up health insurance premiums across the country.
The legislation, which was introduced into the NSW Parliament this week, seeks to increase the private health insurance levy in a bid to pay for Labor’s budget mismanagement.
This disastrous decision will impose a $156 tax hike on families in NSW with private health insurance from next year, at a time when they are already struggling to pay the bills.
Shadow Minister for Health, Senator Anne Ruston said this was a blatant cash grab on patients with private health insurance, and it would set a damaging precedent across the country.
“The NSW Labor Government is overriding the job of the Independent Hospital Pricing Authority, which sets the nationally consistent price for hospital beds,” Senator Ruston said.
“Minister Butler is sitting back and letting his state colleagues rort the national system, and it is private health patients who will pay the price.
“If this is allowed to pass, we can expect other Labor States to follow suit, which will put even more pressure on hard working Australians with private health.”
Labor’s attack on the private health system could see health insurance premiums rise significantly for the 14 million Australians relying on private health cover, with media reports flagging a potential 5-6% increase next year.
“Higher premium increases would be another massive cost-of-living blow for these families, at a time when they are already struggling to afford the rising cost of healthcare,” Senator Ruston said.
“We know that more than 216,000 Australians have already decided to downgrade their health insurance policies in the first half of 2024 alone.
“If Australians can no longer afford to pay for their private health cover, this would put even greater pressure on public hospitals at a time when we are already seeing historic ramping issues.”
The Coalition understands that Australia’s health system works best when we have both a strong public and a strong private system working hand-in-hand to ensure all Australians have access to essential healthcare.
The Albanese Labor Government is overseeing a serious health crisis. It has never been harder or more expensive to access essential healthcare, and that will only get worse if this attack on private health patients is allowed to proceed.
ENDS