Australian Politics Forum - Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.

Bam

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #30 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 12:47pm

Armchair_Politician wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 11:51am:

Bam wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 8:01am:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 6:53am:

Be thankful our health system is NOWHERE near as expensive as that which exists in the US, even with this $5 fee.

Which governments were responsible for this? Labor governments. Chifley gave us the PBS (and successfully passed a referendum to get it), Whitlam gave us Medibank (while dragging the Liberals kicking and screaming through two Senate rejections, a DD election AND a joint sitting to do so), Hawke gave us Medicare (after Fraser took away Medibank). What do the Liberals do? They try to make health care more expensive whenever they get in so they can manufacture a market for the private health insurance industry.

Quote:

The Yanks must look upon us with envy.

Only the people, if they find out about it. The Republicans and the pharmaceutical companies consistently put pressure on Australia to wind back the PBS because to them it is a dangerous idea that Americans must not see. And of course the Liberals would be complicit if they thought that they could get away with it. Angry

Quote:

Having said that, this fee probably would not be necessary if Swan knew a single thing about being a Treasurer.

The Liberals would find any excuse to wind back public health care. They did it under Fraser, they did it under Howard, and they are going to do it under Abbott. Finance has nothing to do with it, it's just a convenient excuse.

Funny, that! Every time we have a Labor government, they go on a Jihad against Private Health Insurers and their members because they take patients (and money) from the crumbling public system that is underfunded and under-resourced.

Why is the public system underfunded and under resourced? Because the conservatives chose to piss away five billion dollars a year in unnecessary subsidies to the private health industry. This is more than one third of what the states spend to run their health systems.

Do try to keep up, you're falling behind!

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You are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to hold opinions that you can defend through sound, reasoned argument.

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bogarde73 Gold Member Offline Anti-Global & Contra Mundum Posts: 18443 Gender:	Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor. Reply #31 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 1:21pm Didn't know inflation was so bad. It's leapt to $6 since the first report I saw. The cat's out and the pigeons are in danger.
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Dnarever

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #32 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 1:50pm

Stratos wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 7:44am:

Dnarever wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 7:28am:

You don't think that they understand the need to start at something like $5 but if that were the real intention it would not be worth the effort - the real plan is substantially more than $5.

Definitely something to watch yes. however, just saying I think a visit to the doctor is quite easily worth $5 out of pocket.

For medical that is already on top of a medicare levy of $1,500 and $3,500 to Bupa That is I pay $5,000 up front in order to get nothing in most years.

A typical Doctors visit costs me about $65 and a specialist about $150.

I don't bulk bill however squeezing more out of pensioners and the unemployed is just a typical Lib policy.

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Grappler Racist Filth

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #33 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:19pm

My doctor bulk bills - he also has a private aircraft, a very nice BMW 4WD etc, and get $100k+ just to be on call for the local small hospital on top of his daily full surgery...

It's hard work.. but someone has to do it... has anyone worked out yet why doctors are so highly paid and regarded? Their mortality rate in patients is 100%.... (joking but still - the issue raised, please)...

As for 'overloaded' emergency nurses - work in nursing, like in politics and farming, is very subjective.... my observation of these people is they are overly stifled by regulations, are trained to not move quickly, and have little to no concept of triage..... unless you are obviously dying, forget it... the cleaner might find your cold body sitting in the waiting room in the morning...

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“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
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Aussie Gold Member Offline OzPolitic Posts: 39967 Gender:	Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor. Reply #34 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:23pm
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longweekend58

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #35 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:41pm

Bam wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 12:47pm:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 11:51am:

Bam wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 8:01am:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 6:53am:

Be thankful our health system is NOWHERE near as expensive as that which exists in the US, even with this $5 fee.

Which governments were responsible for this? Labor governments. Chifley gave us the PBS (and successfully passed a referendum to get it), Whitlam gave us Medibank (while dragging the Liberals kicking and screaming through two Senate rejections, a DD election AND a joint sitting to do so), Hawke gave us Medicare (after Fraser took away Medibank). What do the Liberals do? They try to make health care more expensive whenever they get in so they can manufacture a market for the private health insurance industry.

Quote:

The Yanks must look upon us with envy.

Only the people, if they find out about it. The Republicans and the pharmaceutical companies consistently put pressure on Australia to wind back the PBS because to them it is a dangerous idea that Americans must not see. And of course the Liberals would be complicit if they thought that they could get away with it. Angry

Quote:

Having said that, this fee probably would not be necessary if Swan knew a single thing about being a Treasurer.

The Liberals would find any excuse to wind back public health care. They did it under Fraser, they did it under Howard, and they are going to do it under Abbott. Finance has nothing to do with it, it's just a convenient excuse.

Funny, that! Every time we have a Labor government, they go on a Jihad against Private Health Insurers and their members because they take patients (and money) from the crumbling public system that is underfunded and under-resourced.

Why is the public system underfunded and under resourced? Because the conservatives chose to piss away five billion dollars a year in unnecessary subsidies to the private health industry. This is more than one third of what the states spend to run their health systems.

Do try to keep up, you're falling behind!

what stupid logic. firstly $5B is not 1/3 but close to 1/10 and secondly, removing the subsidy simply moves people from private ro public systems this negating any perceived gains while overloading the same system.

you are just someone who hates private enterprise like some 60s communist who hasn't yet reconciled the failure of world communism.

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AUSSIE: "Speaking for myself, I could not care less about 298 human beings having their life snuffed out in a nano-second, or what impact that loss has on Members of their family, their parents..."

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longweekend58

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #36 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:42pm

Aussie wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:23pm:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1504993_231120100394476_3...

and you highlighted the major problem with the medicare levy... it makes knob-heads like you think they are paying for their health covereage. the levy covers less than 20% of the health budget.

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AUSSIE: "Speaking for myself, I could not care less about 298 human beings having their life snuffed out in a nano-second, or what impact that loss has on Members of their family, their parents..."

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adelcrow Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 20133 everywhere Gender:	Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor. Reply #37 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:45pm So much for one term tony being honest and transparent..he didnt say anything during the election campaign about screwing over the working poor when they needed to see a doctor.
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adelcrow

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #38 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:48pm

longweekend58 wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:42pm:

Aussie wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:23pm:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1504993_231120100394476_3...

and you highlighted the major problem with the medicare levy... it makes knob-heads like you think they are paying for their health covereage. the levy covers less than 20% of the health budget.

Everyone is paying for the public health system through taxation..so Aussie, like everyone else is paying for his own health coverage in the public system.

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Go the Bunnies

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Swagman Gold Member Offline Beware of cheap imitations...... Posts: 15095 Illawarra NSW Gender:	Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor. Reply #39 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 3:45pm The only way to make heath sustainable is to have a user pays policy. $5 to see a doctor is bugger all. The appliance repairer charges $80.
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Cliff48

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #40 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 3:55pm

longweekend58 wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:42pm:

Aussie wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:23pm:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1504993_231120100394476_3...

and you highlighted the major problem with the medicare levy... it makes knob-heads like you think they are paying for their health covereage. the levy covers less than 20% of the health budget.

Small problem with that. I am now over 65 and will probably have a few doctor's visits in my remaining years. The fact that I have had just one visit to a doctor in 20 years counts for naught. But I admit, that if I need to pay $5 for future visits, it wont overly bother me.

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Swagman

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #41 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 4:20pm

Cliff48 wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 3:55pm:

longweekend58 wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:42pm:

Aussie wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 2:23pm:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1504993_231120100394476_3...

and you highlighted the major problem with the medicare levy... it makes knob-heads like you think they are paying for their health covereage. the levy covers less than 20% of the health budget.

Small problem with that. I am now over 65 and will probably have a few doctor's visits in my remaining years. The fact that I have had just one visit to a doctor in 20 years counts for naught. But I admit, that if I need to pay $5 for future visits, it wont overly bother me.

Yes there should be a tax rebate for people that don't use the doc.

How many bulk billed doctors visits are for scammers getting certificates for imaginary ailments just because they had a sickie?

Any thing given away for free is wasted or rorted.

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John Smith Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 78311 Gender:	Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor. Reply #42 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 5:41pm cods wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 12:11pm: [highlight]I do not BELIEVE IN FREE... nothing IS FREE.....we should pay for everything[/highlight.. except for the right to pollute ... you think they should be free to do that at will don't you?
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imcrookonit

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Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor.
Reply #43 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 5:44pm

Peter Dutton refuses to rule out $5 'GP fee'

Date
December 29, 2013

Minister for Health Peter Dutton has refused to confirm or deny reports the government was considering charging a fee to see a GP.

The federal government has refused to "speculate" about a proposal to make patients pay a $5 fee for bulk-billed GP visits. Sad

A national Commission of Audit has received a proposal for a co-payment scheme for GP consultations.

Doctor groups and political parties have criticised such a move, claiming it would destroy Medicare and limit access to GPs for some community groups. Angry

Co-payments would see patients pay a fee for bulk-billed GP consultations.

News Corp Australia reports pensioners and concession card holders would be exempt from the fee.

Families would also be granted up to 12 bulk-billed visits annually.

Federal Health Minister Peter Dutton said he would not comment on "speculation around what the Commission of Audit may or may not recommend".

"The commission's work is still being compiled and will be provided to the government in 2014," he said in a statement.

"The government will be able to consider any recommendations and respond after that time."

Mr Dutton said the government had committed to making sure the health system was sustainable and accessible in the future.

The Abbott government has been ridiculed for its refusal to rule out a GP fee.

The Opposition has called on Mr Abbott to immediately strike out the idea while The Greens say it will cause many to think twice about a GP visit. Sad

Acting Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale said on Sunday it was a step towards a two-tiered US-style health system and away from universal healthcare.

Dr Con Costa, of the Doctors' Reform Society, believes a GP fee would make emergency departments busier.

"Introducing a $5 co-payment is false cost-savings," he said in a statement.

"People would stop seeing their GP, ending up sicker and going to hospital - which costs thousands of dollars a day versus the current $36 to see a GP bulk-billed."

It has been reported a co-payment plan aimed to help ease unnecessary trips to the doctor.

But Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Dr Steve Hambleton said the majority of visits to the GP were very "reasonable and helpful" with only a minority causing doctors to ask why they came.

A co-payment scheme was introduced under the Hawke government in the 1990s but was scrapped.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/peter-dutton-refuses-to-rule-out-5-gp-fee-20131229-301fh.html#ixzz2oqanXsS6

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Aussie Gold Member Offline OzPolitic Posts: 39967 Gender:	Re: Mr Abbott, We Want The Bulk Billing Doctor. Reply #44 - Dec 29^th, 2013 at 5:46pm John Smith wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 5:41pm: cods wrote on Dec 29^th, 2013 at 12:11pm: [highlight]I do not BELIEVE IN FREE... nothing IS FREE.....we should pay for everything[/highlight.. except for the right to pollute ... you think they should be free to do that at will don't you?
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