The government's plan to scrap the age-based top-ups to the private health insurance rebate, which would save $3 billion over four years, is again in trouble. The measure, due from April next year, would remove the larger rebates for people 65 and over and 70 and over, with the savings directed to aged care. The Senate voted on Wednesday to block the bill, and the Greens want pensioners exempted as the price of passage. Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced it in the House of Representatives on Thursday, and its fate depends on talks with the Greens. Critics such as Monique Ryan, citing Parliamentary Budget Office analysis, argue the Health Department puts the number of people likely to drop cover at closer to 80,000, compared with the 44,000 the government has cited, shifting costs to public hospitals.
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- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | Muswellbrook Chronicle
Labor has reintroduced in the House of Representatives its bill to remove the age-based rebate top-ups on private health insurance for people 65 and over (larger from 70), projected to save $3 billion over four years for aged care. The Senate had earlier voted it off the government's agenda with the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers, and the Greens want pensioners excluded as the price of passage. Teal independent Monique Ryan, citing Parliamentary Budget Office analysis, argues that about half the savings would come from the older Australians least able to afford them, and says the Health Department puts the number of people who may drop cover at closer to 80,000, not the 44,000 the government claimed. The article frames the coming negotiations as a key test for Greens leader David Shoebridge and Health Minister Mark Butler.
- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | Narromine News
Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced the bill to remove the age-based top-ups on private health insurance rebates for people 65 and over, a measure the government says would save $3 billion over four years for aged care. After the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers voted it off the agenda in the Senate, the Greens want pensioners exempted as the price of passage. Independent Monique Ryan said Parliamentary Budget Office analysis showed half the savings would come from older Australians least able to afford them, and that the government had claimed 44,000 people might drop their cover, while the Health Department estimates the figure is closer to 80,000. Michelle Grattan notes the fight adds pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers as unemployment hit 4.7 per cent in September, a five-year high.
- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | Bunbury Mail
The government's plan to scrap the age-based top-ups on private health insurance rebates for people aged 65 and over, which would save $3 billion over four years for aged care, was blocked in the Senate on Wednesday by the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers. Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced the bill in the House of Representatives on Thursday, and negotiations with the Greens are ahead, with the Greens demanding pensioners be removed from its scope. Independent MP Monique Ryan, citing a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis she commissioned, says about half the savings would come from older Australians least able to afford them. She says the Health Department estimates closer to 80,000 people could drop cover, compared with the 44,000 the government cited, shifting costs to public hospitals. The bill's future remained unclear when parliament broke on Thursday.
- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | Daily Liberal
The Albanese government wants to remove the bigger private health insurance rebates for people aged 65 and over (larger again at 70 and over) from April next year, saving $3 billion over four years to fund aged care. The Senate knocked the bill off the government's agenda after the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers joined forces, and the Greens want pensioners exempted as the price of passage. Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced the bill in the House of Representatives, and its future was unclear when parliament broke. Independent MP Monique Ryan, citing a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis she commissioned, says half the savings would come from older Australians least able to afford them, and accuses the government of hiding impacts: it claimed 44,000 older Australians might drop cover, while the Health Department says the figure is closer to 80,000. The fight comes as unemployment reached 4.7% in September, a five-year high, adding pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers ahead of the mid-year budget update.
- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | Bega District News
The government's bill to scrap the age-based top-ups on private health insurance rebates, which it says would save $3 billion over four years for aged care, was voted down in the Senate with help from the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers. Health Minister Mark Butler has reintroduced it in the House, while the Greens want pensioners excluded as the price of passage. Teal independent Monique Ryan, citing a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis, says half the savings would come from the older Australians least able to afford them, and disputes the government's estimate of 44,000 people dropping cover against the Health Department's estimate of 80,000. With unemployment at 4.7% in September, a five-year high, the prospect of a Reserve Bank hold in November has increased.
- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | Wellington Times
The Albanese government proposes removing age-based top-ups to the health insurance rebate for people aged 65 and over, starting from April next year, to save $3 billion over four years for aged care. The Senate voted to take the bill off the agenda after the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers opposed it, and the Greens want pensioners excluded as the price of passage. Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced the bill in the House of Representatives, but its future remains unclear as the government negotiates with the Greens. Independent MP Monique Ryan, citing a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis, argues that half the savings would come from older Australians least able to afford them. She says the Health Department estimates nearly 80,000 people may drop their cover, well above the 44,000 the government cited.
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