The Australian Council of Social Service call for the Private Health Insurance Rebate to be scrapped is irresponsible and the arguments being used by ACOSS to back its position are, simply put, false.
Opponents of private health insurance such as ACOSS continue to claim that the Rebate doesn’t take pressure off the public hospital system and that private hospitals only do minor surgery, both completely incorrect.
The private sector plays a key role in Australia’s health system, with 58% of surgical procedures carried out in private hospitals. This includes chemotherapy treatment, joint replacements and other non‐discretionary surgical procedures.
If people were not encouraged to purchase Private Health Insurance by the Rebate, many of these Non-Discretionary treatments would need to be done in Public Hospitals.
The Private Health Insurance Rebate keeps premiums affordable and if people don’t have private health cover, these operations would have to be done in the public hospital system.
There is already increased pressure on the public hospital system as a result of the former Labor Government’s legislative changes to the Rebate.
More than two million privately insured Australians have either downgraded or dropped their private health cover since these changes were introduced.
Sensible Australians know that if the Rebate is removed, premiums will increase (by up to 40% in some cases) and people will leave private health insurance putting huge pressure on our public health system.
It’s time for ACOSS to face the facts. Its arguments against private health insurance and against the private health system are dated and wrong. Private health care is crucial to the future of Australia’s health system.
Media Contact: Jen Eddy 02 6202 1000