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NewsThe Health Minister has heard you, loud and clear
The Health Minister has heard you, loud and clear

The Health Minister has heard you, loud and clear

Tags: Cost of Living Insurance
Last updated by John Mangos on

John MangosCall it a rite of passage or a coming of age, but the FiftyUp Club has reached a significant milestone.

We sat down with the Federal Health Minister, Peter Dutton, to deliver your message in Canberra this week … and he listened.

The Minister warmly welcomed me and my FiftyUp Club Colleague Jess Lindell into his office and he treated your submission with respect.

Together we went through your overwhelming response to the Federal Budget and called on the Minister to reduce the impact of co-payments on Australians aged over 50, particularly for pensioners on fixed incomes.

We also asked the Minister to strengthen the disclosure requirements of private health insurers, so that we can see premium increases by age brackets in the annual round of price rises. The full submission is available here.

The Club talked. He listened.

Then he promised to review your submission more closely and provide us all with a formal reply.

But barely hours after our cordial and respectful talks, the Minister went public to talk compromise with regard to the $7 co-payment proposal.

He repeated in public what he had earlier told us in private – that is, he is prepared to compromise on the co-payment.

This is what Seven News Canberra Political Editor Mark Riley put to air that night, with the Minister saying: “If people have sensible suggestions to make, we’re happy to consider those”.

Thank you Minister.

That was precisely what we had just done.

Riley’s story also quoted the FiftyUp Club’s 11,000-member submission.

Riley called it a “pragmatic retreat from a hardline budget”, and he is right.

I reckon Mr Dutton took on board the 11,000 voices of our 91,000 members in our health care costs survey.

Yes, he does comprehend that more than two-thirds of us FiftyUps believe the system is unsustainable and are prepared to contribute a small amount to our own health care costs if it helps balance the Federal Budget.

But he listened when we showed him that 30% of you say GP co-payments would force you to avoid the doctor when sick, or go to hospital instead.

And 40% say co-payments and Health Insurance prices are likely to change how you vote at the next election.  Ouch, by any party’s language.

Thank you members for your feedback, and thank you Minister for your time and your offer to respond formally.

We know the structure of the Senate complicates the equation going forward. But new Senators must know it is we FiftyUps who pay the bills.

FiftyUps, we are the voice.

Originally posted on .

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Elizabeth
Elizabeth from NSW commented:

Thanks very much for your involvement. We currently are out of pocket $17 each time we visit our doctor (and we are older pensioner) so the extra $7 would find us thinking twice about going to doctors. 

Karen
Karen from NSW replied to Elizabeth:

If you are already $17 out of pocket then your GP is NOT bulk billing. Therefore there will be no change for you if the co-payment were to get through. It would only apply to GPs who bulk bill. There is so much misinformation out there that people are confused. 

Jeanette
Jeanette from NSW commented:

Well done! Thank you on behalf of all of us "Over50"s". 

Stuart
Stuart from QLD commented:

John, Many thanks for what you did and trust we will see this stupid co-payment axed. I have worked in the Pharmaceutical industry for 37 years and have seen daily the cost issues re drugs and Dr fees etc. Unfortunately I am "redundant" for the 3rd time and unfortunately have too much "experience" to get another job too!! according to my headhunter last week, I"m turning 63. I have talked to several overseas Med Profs and they say we are way overgoverned and Australia needs to "downsize" our beaurocrats and get rid of state governments, can we start working on this too ? Over fiftys have the knowledge now we need to take action sooner rather than later. I learn't this week from a ex Canberra Gov accountant that parliment building had massive tunnels under the build that are Atomic bomb proof, did anyone else know that ? 

Peter
Peter from NSW commented:

WELL DONE JOHN MANGOS AND COLLEAGUE JESS. PETER COX 

Michelle
Michelle from NSW commented:

the health funds are complaining about the cost of us oldies, however, they were not complaining when I was in it for years and years and NEVER claimed 

Dorothy
Dorothy from NSW commented:

Well done John and thank you for your efforts. Lets see if anything constructive happens or was it the minister just telling you what he thought you wanted to hear....time will tell 

Paul
Paul from QLD commented:

You all must be niaive to think that he listened to you. What he did is go through the motions and politely waited for you to finish so he could get the hell out of your meeting. The reality is that he can't get his bill through the senate and he is left with NO option but to negotiate with the minor parties. Sorry 50up club. But we are irrelevant in this debate. 

Ross
Ross from QLD commented:

Stop asking Pensioners to shoulder the burden and help balance the books, stop money going to overseas and don,t buy them fighter aircraft from the usa and that will bring the country back into the black, stop spending like we have to do 

enid
enid from NSW commented:

I will never use pregnancy as I am 87 yrs young and been in health fund since "forever" and I also like not having to pay for each visit to doctor, physio, etc, etc, etc 

enid
enid from NSW commented:

I need a reduction in fees as well as well as co-payment I will nevder use a thing concerning pregnancy as I am 87 yrs young 

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