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.
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- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | The Northern Daily Leader
The government's plan to remove age-based top-ups on the private health insurance rebate from April next year, saving $3 billion over four years for aged care, was knocked off the agenda in the Senate by the opposition, Greens and crossbenchers. Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced the bill in the House on Thursday, but the Greens, under David Shoebridge, want pensioners excluded as the price of passage. Teal independent Monique Ryan says half the savings would come from the least well-off older Australians, and that the Health Department estimates 80,000 people may drop their cover, versus the 44,000 the government cited. The bill's future remains unclear as the government negotiates with the Greens, putting pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers's budget savings.
- Michelle Grattan | Labor reintroduces health insurance rebate | The Advocate
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 | 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 | Camden Haven Courier
The government wants to remove the age-based top-ups to the private health insurance rebate from April next year, a measure it says would save $3 billion over four years and fund aged care. The opposition, the Greens and crossbench senators joined forces in the Senate to knock the bill off the agenda, and the Greens want pensioners excluded from it. Health Minister Mark Butler reintroduced the bill in the House of Representatives on Thursday, but its future is unclear and negotiations with the Greens are expected in the coming weeks. Teal independent Monique Ryan, citing a Parliamentary Budget Office analysis she commissioned, says half the savings would come from the older Australians least able to afford them, and the Health Department estimates closer to 80,000 people could drop their cover, compared with the 44,000 the government cited. The pressure also weighs on Treasurer Jim Chalmers, as unemployment reached 4.7% 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 | 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.
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