Ben Eltham | Baby Steps on Health Reform

Subjecting the private health insurance rebate to a means test is a good start to more equitable – and cheaper – health policy but there’s a way to go yet, writes Ben Eltham. Subsidising private health insurance is a clumsy and wasteful way of spending money on health care. The Centre for Policy Development’s Ian McAuley and John Menadue point out in a recent paper that while private health insurers received about $16 billion in premiums last … more

Ian McAuley and John Menadue | Are Private Health Subsidies Worth It?

Is there some special reason the private health insurance industry is worthy of such robust government support? Ian McAuley and John Menadue on why it doesn’t add up. When an industry has become dependent on a subsidy, it uses every means to justify its continuation, exaggerating the consequences if it is withdrawn. Political parties join the bandwagon, and governments, whatever their ideology, feel compelled to go on providing subsidies. We’re not referring to Alcoa, Toyota or GMH. … more

Michael Janda | Experts size up effects of health rebate changes

As both sides of politics put forward their policy suggestions regarding the private health insurance rebate, little is actually being put on the table to provide Australians with an equitable health system. The Government is claiming it is a fundamental reform to boost equity, while the Opposition claim it will lead to an exodus from the private health system putting more pressure on public hospitals. Michael Janda calls on a host of experts as he … more

 

FAQ Research | Coal Seam Gas – Behind the Seams

Coal Seam Gas – Behind the Seams, is an exciting and extremely necessary project, run by FAQ Research in conjunction with Crikey, examining all aspects of the Coal Seam Gas issue in the lead up to the Queensland state election on March 24. Impacting directly on farmers, rural and regional communities and the environment, CSG exploration and extraction also raises big questions about the future of our state, of our nation, and of our planet. As … more

Ben Eltham | Is Bank Bashing Justified? Of Course It Is!

Do the banks really deserve all this public loathing? Actually, they do, says Ben Eltham in New Matilda – even if they are profit-making entities subject to market forces. “Australia’s banks [are] a kind of public-private partnership where the profits are privatised and risks are socialised”. Are there any institutions more hated than banks? Right now, the answer is “no”. Financial institutions, and banks in particular, have probably never enjoyed broad popular support. But at … more

Miriam Lyons | ABC The Drum, 13 Feb 2012

Hosted by Annabel Crabb, Miriam is joined on the panel by The Chaser’s Julian Morrow, and former liberal advisor Richard Muller. The hot topics for debate include the private health insurance rebate, continued bank job cuts and interest rate rises, as well as a chat to CPD Fellow, David McKnight, about his upcoming book launch ‘Rupert Murdoch: An Investigation of Political Power’. Watch the full episode on ABC’s The Drum here

 

Michael Mullins | Means Test Won’t Fix Health Funding

There is little doubt that by introducing means testing for the private health insurance rebate, it will result in a small step toward social inclusion in the health care debate. However, this small step is not enough. Quoting CPD’s John Menadue and Ian McAuley from their recent discussion paper Private health insurance: High in cost and low in equity, Michael Mullins, editor of Eureka Street, states that the proposed legislation will not do much to … more

Mike Steketee | Health Rebate A Very Unfair Plan

The heavy subsidies dished out to private health insurance has increased the equity gap between those who can afford it, and those who can’t. The Howard Government’s goal of an increase in numbers in private health to ease the pressure on public hospitals has proved otherwise, with not only business going to private hospitals, but with them the professionals too. One of the starkest inequities is found in dental care. Apart from the most exceptional … more

Ross Gittins | Why health cover needs no subsidies

There are few remaining points of ideological difference between the two major parties. When it comes to the funding of healthcare, particularly private health insurance, Ross Gittins can’t see too great a difference. Gittins picks up CPD’s recent discussion paper and he writes in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age: So, just as the Libs now accept the legitimacy of Medicare, so Labor now accepts the legitimacy of taxpayer-subsidised and enforced private health insurance. … more