Moncrieff Media

Labor has broken its health promise to Gold Coasters

13 June 2009

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has broken his promise to “fix” the health system by mid-2009 and as a result more pressure will be placed on the Gold Coast Hospital, local MP Steven Ciobo said.

Labor has announced it will reduce eligibility for the 30 per cent private health rebate, which Mr Rudd promised not to alter during the 2007 election. This will affect one-in-two Gold Coasters who have private health insurance.

“The Gold Coast Hospital is under enormous strain, and Labor’s neglect of the health system is only going to exacerbate the city’s health problems,” Mr Ciobo said.

“Around 55 per cent of Gold Coasters have private health insurance. These locals could face an increase in health insurance premiums – some up to 42 per cent thanks to Labor.”

According to the Queensland Health Quarterly public hospitals performance report, as of January 2009, there were 2,771 patients on the Gold Coast Hospital waiting list for elective surgery, which was the third highest in Queensland.

“Combining already strained services at the Gold Coast Hospital, with the likelihood some Gold Coasters will opt out of private health cover, it is likely the city’s hospital waiting lists will grow even longer,” Mr Ciobo said.

“Record budget deficits under the Rudd Labor Government and $315 billion of debt are forcing cuts to essential health programmes.

“Labor and Mr Rudd have announced plans to cap benefits under the Medicare Safety Net, which the Coalition introduced to help pay for out-of-hospital costs for those patients facing major medical costs.

“Labor’s changes to the Medicare Safety Net will hurt hundreds of Gold Coasters trying to access essential services such as obstetrics, reproductive technology like IVF, as well as cataract surgery.

“The changes to the Medicare Safety Net mean caps for certain services have been axed – some as low as $15 for obstetric services.

“Health has always been a priority for the Coalition Government, who introduced the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate, in an effort to ease the strain on an already overloaded health system.

“Yet, at the 2007 election, the Rudd Labor Government promised not to alter the 30 per cent rebate for private health insurance and claimed Labor was committed to maintaining access to affordable health care.

“Mr Rudd has broken his promise to the Gold Coast and left local residents with a strained public health system, and plunged the whole of the Australian community into massive debt.”