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Fairer deal for health card holders in rural and outer-metro

The Federal Government's A Fairer Medicare package would help low-income earners, particularly those on health care cards, to gain greater access to bulk-billing GP services, the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, has said.

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20 June 2003

Fairer deal for health card holders in rural and outer-metro

The Federal Government's A Fairer Medicare package would help low-income earners, particularly those on health care cards, to gain greater access to bulk-billing GP services, the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Kay Patterson, said today.

The $917 million A Fairer Medicare package was aimed at making Medicare stronger and fairer by addressing the issue of low bulk billing among concession card holders in rural and outer-metropolitan areas.

Senator Patterson was commenting after Labor released an electorate-by-electorate breakdown of the March quarter bulk billing figures, which were released last month.

Senator Patterson said it was unfair that people living in cities had enjoyed higher levels of bulk billing while concession card holders in regional and outer-metropolitan areas had been denied access to bulk billing.

The package would also make it more convenient for patients who visited a doctor who chooses not to bulk bill their patients.

Under A Fairer Medicare, the patient will be able to pay the gap between the doctor's fee and the Medicare rebate and leave the surgery with no more to do and no more to pay. The patient would not have to go to a Medicare office to collect their rebate.

Senator Patterson said the Government's Medicare package would introduce new stronger safety nets to give families extra protection over and above the existing safety net arrangements.

About 80,000 additional people each year were expected to reach the new safety net thresholds.

Senator Patterson said: "These new safety nets will provide all Australians with peace of mind that they can be protected against large out-of-pocket expenses. This includes the costs of specialists, pathology and diagnostic services under Medicare when performed out of hospital.

However, nearly nine million Australians cannot have the same peace of mind because of Labor's refusal to give a commitment to retain the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate, which gives affordable access to nearly nine million Australians to private health care.

Senator Patterson said Labor has been hiding behind the façade of having a review for the past 18 months.

"This week, the new acting Labor Shadow Health Minister continued the practice of her predecessor. She refuses to give any commitment to retain the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate, which delivers, on average, $750 a year to the family budget," she said.

"Jenny Macklin, like Stephen Smith, refuses to come clean on what is Labor's policy on private health insurance."

Media inquiries: Randal Markey, Media Adviser, Senator Patterson's office, 02 6277 7220.