Is Tony the wrong kind of fiscal conservative to lead the Coalition?
As Health Minister in the Coalition Govt:
(1) Tony's Medicare Safety Net scheme to help people cover large out-of-pocket medical bills was meant to cost $495 million over four years. By the end of its first year it was costing taxpayers $1 billion.
(2) Tony's 2006 Better Access Scheme for mental health, which introduced Medicare rebates for psychologists, was meant to cost $538 million over five years. It?s now forecast to cost $2 billion over five years.
(3) Tony's scheme to provide a Medicare subsidy for the dental care of the chronically ill was meant to cost $377.6 million over four years. By March 2010 it cost $869 million.
Now some of these services might be demand driven but its a big worry Tony didnt cost/budget the initiatives better when introduced. Its what some people might call a budget black hole.
