Abbott to sell Medibank

[i-need-a-martini]

There goes the benchmark that keeps our insurance premiums at a decent level.

I don't even understand why this is even necessary given that Medibank makes a profit? It's as if decisions are being made without any thought goig into it other than they promised to do it in 2007 so this is their way of punishing voters for not voting for them in at that time.

What other reason could there be?

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/abbott-moves-towards-medibank-private-selloff-...

[amber-eyed-girl]

In all meanings of the word.

[icyfroth]

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@am*3 wrote:

Australia is not the only country where the Govt have sold off some of its assets (rightly or wrongly - that's debatable). Who can those other countries blame for the selling off of those assets? The last Australian Labor Govt?? lol

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?

[cherry*135]

[amber-eyed-girl]

To be fair to Mr. Abbott, this was something they said they were going to do going into the election.

whether one agrees with it or not.

they are keeping a promise. As a lot of threads are related to their not keeping them.

I find that with any party, they keep some promises, and do not keep others. Sometimes this is because a situation beyone their control changes (but that makes a good excuse anyway).

usually they keep the ones I do not want them to keep!

[icyfroth]

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@am*3 wrote:

Australia is not the only country where the Govt have sold off some of its assets (rightly or wrongly - that's debatable). Who can those other countries blame for the selling off of those assets? The last Australian Labor Govt?? lol

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They should blame it on the boardrooms.

[*crikey*mate*]

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@purplecarrot-top wrote:
So what happens when all the assets are sold and there is noting left?

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Depression

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you can get medicine for that.

[icyfroth]

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@crikey*mate wrote:

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@icyfroth wrote:

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@purplecarrot-top wrote:
So what happens when all the assets are sold and there is noting left?

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Depression

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you can get medicine for that.

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if you can afford it

[amber-eyed-girl]

I was thinking that too.

does anyone have Medibank Private? I receive regular letters from them. Each time it is a fee increase, or a notification that serious illness/conditions have been removed from their cover.

tried extras briefly but did not work for us.

when we dropped the extras, we had aggressive phone calls until I made an official complaint.

[*crikey*mate*]

we were with em for years, but then changed to HCF, think it was cos they had no excess for hospital admission. not sure, cant remember now.

[freakiness]

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@monman12 wrote:

DSOTM: "Well there goes another good thing that helped so many people who could not afford private funds."
??????  Medibank is an Australian government-owned private health insurer.

INAM: "so this is their way of punishing voters for not voting for them in at that time." Actually INAM it has always been the Coalition policy from Howard's days to sell Medibank.

There is no compelling policy reason" for the government to retain ownership of Medibank, which operates in a competitive market against 34 other health funds." It  also makes sense to free up funds ($4 billion)  for other uses/investments (assets)  that could be in the taxpayers interests, because government here should not be running businesses.

Finally: "UNION heavyweight Paul Howes has urged Labor to back the sale of Medibank Private, saying the party must slay sacred cows such as its stance on selling public assets.  Mr Howes said Medibank Private "is not a price leader in that market, it's more expensive than many of its competitors, it does not have a monopoly of that market".

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Why shouldn't the govt own businesses that bring in a profit?  They don't waste govt time running them as there are staff who work for and manage them.

Frankly, I don't care what paul Howes has to say about it?  He is just a lobbyist in a sea of lobbyists, not an elected member of Parliament.  It wouldn't bother me if he was never heard from again. 

If the money was going to be put to good use perhaps it would not be so bad but this mob are cutting most of the good value programs, like Howard did before, while handing out money to those that don't need it and piling **bleep**e on those who don't deserve the blame.