This is why Bob Brown IS now the most powerful person in Parliament. He and his Greens rule the roost - and crack the Labor whip! This punityive bill will now seemingly pass tonight! On the Greens say so.
This info comes from Amanda Hogan CEO - Australian Unity Healthcare. Dry/boring - perhaps - but yet another example of Labor's race to wage outright, bald-faced class warfare! Read the progressions on this Bill:- Thank you Greens!
(I already know of two young families who will have to opt out!)
___________________________________________________________ Update on the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2011
11 February 2012
The Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2011 is once again being debated in parliament. Political commentators believe that the Government finally has the numbers necessary to pass the Bill, and suggest the vote may occur sometime in coming days or weeks.
This Bill is essentially the same legislation that was proposed in 2009. It is not fair at all. It penalises Australians who pay taxes and then choose to additionally fund their own health cover in order to reduce the burden on the public health sector.
It goes against one of the most important principles of the community rating system that forms the strength of our private health insurance system: that every Australian, regardless of age or health status, pays the same premium for the same health insurance product. This is a strength as it spreads the claims risk - the cost to the fund when some members get sick - equally across all members. This is known as a risk pool.
The means testing of the rebate will result in overnight premium increases of up to 43 percent for more than 2 million people. The Government suggests that only a few of them will change their buying behaviour, but this belief goes against common sense. It is logical that younger, healthier people will consider changing their level of health cover. If even a significant proportion of these people reduce their level of cover, it would leave the remaining members to carry the risk of the entire pool, thus increasing premiums for them all.
The Government has admitted that, in making this assessment, they have not modelled the effects described above.
We believe community rating is fair for all Australians and this Bill is not fair at all and urge all parliamentarians to consider the impact on the broader health system as they decide on how to vote on this Bill.
____________________________________________________________ Update on the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009
Wednesday 10 March 2010
The Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 was debated in parliament on 9 March 2010 and did not pass through.
This means that individuals earning more than $75,000 a year and couples on more than $150,000 a year won't be forced to pay more for their health cover.
____________________________________________________________ Friday 26 February 2010
Voting by the Senate on the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 has not been finalised.
The Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 is made up of three bills —the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge) Bill 2009 and the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Bill 2009, and the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 (No 2).
The three bills are part of a package to effect three private health insurance tiers which include the removal of part of the private health insurance rebate, specifically for those people who have higher incomes.
Legislation related to the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge) Bill 2009 and the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Bill 2009 was rejected by the Senate on Wednesday 24 February 2010.
It is expected that the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 (No 2) to means test the 30 percent rebate will be debated and voted on when Senate next sits on 9 March 2010.
On Wednesday 3 February the Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 which proposes to remove part of the private health insurance rebate was passed through the House of Representatives.
It is anticipated that the Bill will be introduced in the Senate for a second round of debate soon. According to reports in the media, the Opposition has vowed to block the legislation as it did in September 2009. As you may be aware, the legislation had been previously defeated in the Senate in 2009.
We believe that the proposed changes, if passed, could ultimately lead to higher premiums for all private health insurance customers and not just those on higher incomes. .
Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 Friday 14 August 2009
The Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 is not fair at all. It proposes to remove part of the private health insurance rebate, specifically for those people who have higher incomes. I believe the changes will ultimately lead to higher premiums for all private health insurance customers, including you, and not just those on higher incomes. If you share our concern take action now to keep private health insurance fair.
Before I get into the details of the new bill, it is important to remember that health costs in Australia are rising dramatically. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the federal and state governments spend $65 billion each year on health - that's over $6,000 for every taxpayer, or approximately seven times the 1.5% Medicare Levy paid on the median income of about $60,000 per annum. That cost is expected to rise dramatically as the population ages and chronic diseases become endemic.
As a private health insurance member, you already pay your taxes and support Medicare. In addition, you have chosen to take out additional cover. Your decision, and that of 11 million other Australians, removes billions of dollars of burden from the public system. We believe that your action deserves acknowledgement.
During the election campaign in 2007, the Private Health Insurance Association sought clarification from the then Opposition about its intentions regarding the rebate, one of the key policy initiatives that support people like you who take out insurance. In correspondence dated 20 November 2007, Mr Rudd stated that:
Federal Labor is committed to retaining the existing private health insurance rebates, including the 30 per cent general rebate and the 35 and 40 per cent rebates for older Australians.
The Fairer Private Health Insurance Incentives Bill 2009 is a breach of this election promise.
Private health insurance in Australia is designed so that everyone pays the same for the same cover. Private health insurers are not allowed to refuse to cover someone who has poor health; and we must charge the same premium for the same level of cover as someone who has excellent health. At Australian Unity, we believe that this design is a good thing, preventing discrimination on a range of undesirable grounds.
We believe that the measures currently before the parliament will have a range of negative effects. According to the Private Health Insurance Administration Council (the Federal Government regulator of health insurance) the average age of the health insurance pool is 40 years. This has been relatively stable over the past four years, largely due to government policies that encourage young people to enter private health insurance. It is estimated that for every year that the "age" of the private health insurance population increases, premiums will need to rise by some 5 percent simply to cover the impact that this ageing has on the amount of benefits claimed. (This figure has been derived from analysis by an independent actuary.)
The removal of the rebate could lead to members who are younger than 40 years dropping out of health insurance or downgrading their cover. This will have an impact on ageing the private health insurance population and will in turn affect all premiums - including yours. That's not fair.
I urge you to consider the material we've presented here, including our submissions to the Senate on this matter, and, if you share our concern, find out more, take action by writing to your local member of parliament and let others know about this issue. ____________________________________________________________
As someone said last night - why not then means test Medicare as well!! It's too late now. The Greens win. Plebrsik gives in - and looks like the cat which got the cream. As usual.
Greens - wreckers - and the ultimate trouble makers- busy bodies - and Machaveliians - which is saying something!
Always ornery - just for the sake of being "ornery!" And entrenched Far Leftists vitriolic with "class envy."
when will this nightmare end. And who put us in it - why, one Julia Gillard - with her "marriage" signing ceremony flowers in the lapels farcical agreement with Bob Brown.
This huge disgrace of now utter chaos and Brown now ruling the roost is ALL about, and caused by, Rudd and Gillard! No one else! THEIR survival at all costs. It's out of control - and has to be stopped!
Is there ever anything the, the Greens dictators, ARE ever happy with?
