Comments on: Private health insurance not to blame for all ills

By: Justin Larkin

Justin Larkin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

The only really important thing to remember about the private health insurance industry (which as a private industry is in the business of making profits not making sick people well) is that it wouldn’t have survived if Howard hadn’t blackmailed Australians into taking out private cover. If its doing such a good job why does it need such vast subsidising federal action? As a chicken I’m sick of all the horseshit I have to eat to get the grain.

By: Dave Liberts

Dave Liberts — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

A wholly public system funded through taxation allocates resources to those who need them most rather than those who pay the most. A privately funded system inevitably funds a massive amount of unnecessary expensive treatment for customers who demand something or anything in return for their premiums - a natural reaction of customers of all commodities. Assuming that your desired outcome from a health system is good treatment when it’s required and not discounted sports shoes or a new pair of brand-name glasses frames each year, the public system is easily more efficient. Our existing public health facilities could improve substantially if the public funding which goes into propping up private health insurance was kept in the public system.

By: Keith Bedford

Keith Bedford — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

The Howard $3 bullion yearly sub to Private Health Care would have been better paid to the states to upgrade their health system. Private insurees should pay for the priveledge if they want to go that way. As a Private insuree that is what my wife and I did. Howvwer it was al part the Howard Govt middle class welfare. I hope that the Rudd Government has the courage to sweep it all away.