Fed Coalition's health policy blueprint offers hope for better system

12/2/96

The Federal Coalition's policy blueprint - A Healthy Future - offers real hope for a better health system for all Australians, Health Minister Kevin Prince said today.

Mr Prince said the strategy was a comprehensive package designed to ease the stresses on overburdened services with a balance between private and public health care.

"Medicare will be kept in its entirety with the Coalition tackling the root cause of strain on public health systems nationwide - the exodus from private health insurance," the Minister said.

"Conventional wisdom says that you do not cure a disease with a bandaid and recent promises of extra help from the Commonwealth to the States have been exactly that - bandaids.

"Under the Coalition policy young people will be encouraged to take out health insurance keeping premiums affordable, older people who find it too expensive to keep up private cover will get financial aid and importantly, public hospitals will gain from the increased revenue earned from private patients.

"The Coalition has also promised to retain the community rating system where insurance premiums are not rated according to risk but stay the same for everybody."

Mr Prince said the Coalition had made a policy commitment not to reduce Commonwealth public hospital funding.

"The significance of this guarantee cannot be underestimated," he said.

"At a time when our public hospitals are facing increasing demand and rising costs associated with private health insurance fallout, a guarantee of this kind means a guarantee that patients come first."

Mr Prince praised the tax incentive scheme which would encourage more private health insurance, as well as efforts to stop the drift of medical practitioners from country regions to the city.

"Rural medicine has been made a priority as has the important area of Aboriginal health - with a focus on public health issues and infrastructure," Mr Prince said.

"The care of older people, mothers and children are all addressed. Of vital importance to many older people and their families will be the Coalition's promise to increase funding for dementia-specific hostels - an area largely overlooked in the past."

Mr Prince said A Healthy Future demonstrated a real understanding of the stresses on our public health systems and the practical, common sense remedies needed to restore good health to the system for all Australians.

Media contact: Stacey Molloy 366 0300