Ley leaves room to move on Medicare reform

Labor doesn’t believe the Abbott government will let up on plans to cut the Medicare rebate. Source: AAP

SUSSAN Ley – who late last year replaced Peter Dutton in the job – on Thursday scrapped plans to cut a Medicare rebate for short GP visits, and promised to consult on health reform.

Just before Christmas, the government dumped its budget measure to introduce a $7 co-payment measure for GP visits. But opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King does not believe the government is serious about consulting and believes the Abbott government is still intent on ending the principle of universal health care. “I don’t think the attacks on Medicare will stop just because it’s a new year and a new minister, it won’t stop till we have a new government,” she told ABC News Radio on Friday. She said the “cynic in me” believed the decision had more to do with the January 31 Queensland election. She said the Abbott government had come to power with no decent health policy and had “squandered a year attacking patients and the industry”. “I’m entirely cynical this government has any capacity to engage with the health care sector and actually be able to have a decent health care policy,” she said. Ms Ley on Thursday said she was committed to introducing price signals into Medicare, including a co-payment for those with the capacity to pay. Ms Ley later on Friday said she was committed to the consultation process and would talk to doctors in their practices, communities and patients. She’s met with medical groups already and believed the consultation would come up with a solid plan to ensure the viability of Medicare. “The overarching principle, for me, will be: we protect bulk-billing, we maintain and improve high-quality care, we put that price ceiling into health and we make Medicare sustainable for the long term.” Ms Ley said Medicare was not sustainable now, with the Medicare levy raising around $10 billion while the cost of Medicare is $20 billion. In 10 years’ time, she said, it would cost $34 billion. “The Medicare levy is hopelessly inadequate in funding Medicare. We can’t have it collapse under its own weight,” Ms Ley said. “We want to make sure the health dollar goes to the best purposes.”