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Howard's at it again! Trying to take away the conditions we expect as part of being Australian. This time it's Medicare.
National Secretary's media release
Workers are the meat in the sandwich
of Howard's attack on Medicare
"ASU members will be some of the hardest hit by the Howard Government's proposed changes to Medicare," said ASU National Secretary Paul Slape. "The majority will fall through the gaping holes in the proposals and will be required to pay more and more to achieve necessary health care - an outcome the Union will fight against."
Paul Slape made these comments after being fully briefed on Howard's proposals at the Medicare Summit held on Friday, May 2, 2003.
While doctors will be encouraged to bulk bill those with health care cards (and even this outcome is not guaranteed) and the highest income earners will be able to afford to pay up front for quality care, ordinary wage earners will be stuck in the middle as the meat in Howard's Medicare sandwich.
ASU members are now going to be forced to pay three times for health services under Howard's scheme: firstly through taxes as wage earners; secondly via the Medicare levy; and thirdly under Howard's system of an additional payment at the surgery door.
Whilst this "at the door payment" may initially be small, everyone accepts that it will grow over time. And with no controls on what doctors will be allowed to charge, people needing health care will need to rely on altruism in order to access affordable care.
"No matter how small the payment, any additional cost will place a strain on our members' already stretched budgets as the majority of our members are low and middle income earners," Slape said, "They are already struggling to balance family budgets. They shouldn't have to make the decision to wait to take their child to see a doctor until they can save the money for the doctor's fees."
In addition, many ASU members work in services such as community health centres, and can see first hand how a "user pays mini-care system" like Howard's will impact on their clients' ability to access quality health care services.
The ASU will participate in the broad coalition of organisations who resolved today to fight against "Howard's Mini-Care System".
"Howard's attack on Medicare is a core industrial issue, as the changes will have a direct effect on our members' disposable income," Slape said. "We will not sit back and see those incomes effectively eroded by the cost increases which are hidden in Howard's proposals," he added.
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