Millions of everyday Australians – including pensioners and low income earners - now face an additional 10% hit on their health insurance premiums on top of other premium increases.
This will hit low income earners hard - of the 11.7 million privately insured Australians, 5.6 million have household income of less than $50,000 a year (and of those, 3.4 million have an annual household income of less than $35,000).
Means testing the health insurance rebate will drive people out of the system, forcing taxpayers to pay more for public health services and putting even more strain on the public health system - affecting all Australians.
By means testing the health insurance rebate, Labor and the Greens are further penalising hard working Australians and their families.
Tony Abbott today said “Private health insurance is an article of faith for us. We will restore the rebate in government as soon as we can.”
