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Stephen Duckett – the director of the health program at Grattan Institute – has lashed calls from the private health insurance industry for the government to lift funding by another $1.2 billion:
Last week’s call by Private Healthcare Australia, the private health insurance industry lobby group, for another $1.2bn handout shows the message has not been heard.
Private healthcare is currently subsidised to the tune of $9bn each year – $6bn through a government rebate that reduces the cost of private health insurance premiums, and a further $3bn for rebates against the cost of medical bills for private inpatients. The latest ask from the industry is on top of that.
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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.