this is a excellent budget

[*mrgrizz*]

for the first time in years the cash cow.....me......single, no kids hasn't been spanked.

and i will be paying less for your kids......you know the ones that you decided to have not me

[*mrgrizz*]

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@polksaladallie wrote:

---

@*mrgrizz* wrote:

for the first time in years the cash cow.....me......single, no kids hasn't been spanked.

and i will be paying less for your kids......you know the ones that you decided to have not me

---

When you are older and need life-saving surgery which costs $100,000 or $200,000, or need to swallow $100 a day medicine, are you going to fund this yourself?  No, the children you pay for now are going to keep you alive.

---

i will be fully  self funded retiree, with health insurance.

[donnashuggy]

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@catsnknots wrote:

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@crystal**flake wrote:

The $7 fee is exempt for children 16 and under.

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Only after 10 visits it will be free... but the Dr can decide not to charge you if they feel you can't afford it. 

BUT if you have a chronic illness you are exempt... 

They go on about a pensioner so sick they need to visit the Dr three times a week and if that is the case that pensioner will have a chronic health care plan and not have ot pay anything... 

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Is everyone going to line up and show the doctor their bank statements? lol

[catsnknots]

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@am*3 wrote:

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@crystal**flake wrote:

Its one bit of the budget that didnt feel right to me.

I dont understand why they couldn't have put the medicare levy up a bit

______________________________________________________________________________________________

That has already been done.

Medicare levy increase to fund DisabilityCare Australia

From 1 July 2014, the government will increase the Medicare levy rate from 1.5 to 2% of taxable income for the 2014-15 income year and later income years. This increase will also have consequential changes for legislation that reference the Medicare levy rate.

The money raised from the increase will be placed into a DisabilityCare Australia Fund for 10 years, which will only be drawn upon to fund the additional costs of delivering the NDIS.

The measure received royal assent on 28 May 2013.

ATO.gov.au

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I believe it was the Gillard government that put that change in.... and everyone agreed to it.. they thought it worthwhile to help out those that needed it. 

[polksaladallie]

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@*mrgrizz* wrote:

---

@polksaladallie wrote:

---

@*mrgrizz* wrote:

for the first time in years the cash cow.....me......single, no kids hasn't been spanked.

and i will be paying less for your kids......you know the ones that you decided to have not me

---

When you are older and need life-saving surgery which costs $100,000 or $200,000, or need to swallow $100 a day medicine, are you going to fund this yourself?  No, the children you pay for now are going to keep you alive.

---

i will be fully  self funded retiree, with health insurance.

---

  Do you really believe that your health insurance covers your health care? 

[donnashuggy]

Some people might actually find that a bit demeaning you know catmad, some people have pride, some people just won't go if they cannot afford it, no matter how sick they are.

[cherry*135]

but the Dr can decide not to charge you if they feel you can't afford it. 

Which means the Dr is out of pocket $5... can you really see the majority of Dr's forgoing $5 per patient? That is at bulk billing clinics

For clinics where patient pays the GAP that gap will rise $5 also for every patient. (cut to medicare rebate).

catmad - can you show a link or C& P to where it states the  chroncially ill are exempt from the $7 fee? - in Budget documents or Govt Dept website.

[izabsmiling]

Prime Minister Tony Abbott insists he will not be deterred by disastrous polling results following his government's first budget, saying the public had been "on notice" that the Coalition would have to make tough decisions.

Mr Abbott also said his government had not broken a pre-election promise not to make any cuts to health or education.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-brushes-aside-disastrous-polls-say...

He lies about lying and is so full of himself it's dangerous

[cherry*135]

I have seen no official information that states the chronically ill are exempt from the $7 medical services fee.

From the Budget Paper No 2 

Health

The Government will achieve savings of $3.5 billion over five years by reducing Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) rebates from 1 July 2015 by $5 for standard general practitioner consultations and out‑of‑hospital pathology and diagnostic imaging services and allowing the providers of these services to collect a patient contribution of $7 per service.

For patients with concession cards and children under 16 years of age the MBS rebate will only be reduced for the first 10 services in each year, after which it will return to current benefit levels.

A new Low Gap Incentive will replace bulk billing incentives for providers of these services. The Low Gap Incentive will be paid to providers where they provide services to patients with concession cards or children under 16 years of age and only charge the $7 patient contribution ‑ for the first 10 services in a year, or where they charge no patient contribution ‑ for additional services in that year.

The measure will also remove the restriction on State and Territory Governments from charging patients presenting to hospital emergency departments for general practitioner like attendances.

The savings from this measure will be invested by the Government in the Medical Research Future Fund.

[cherry*135]

---

@catsnknots wrote:

---

@am*3 wrote:

---

@crystal**flake wrote:

Its one bit of the budget that didnt feel right to me.

I dont understand why they couldn't have put the medicare levy up a bit

______________________________________________________________________________________________

That has already been done.

Medicare levy increase to fund DisabilityCare Australia

From 1 July 2014, the government will increase the Medicare levy rate from 1.5 to 2% of taxable income for the 2014-15 income year and later income years. This increase will also have consequential changes for legislation that reference the Medicare levy rate.

The money raised from the increase will be placed into a DisabilityCare Australia Fund for 10 years, which will only be drawn upon to fund the additional costs of delivering the NDIS.

The measure received royal assent on 28 May 2013.

ATO.gov.au

---

I believe it was the Gillard government that put that change in.... and everyone agreed to it.. they thought it worthwhile to help out those that needed it. 

---

You mean Abbott agreed to it.

[catsnknots]

---

@am*3 wrote:

but the Dr can decide not to charge you if they feel you can't afford it. 

Which means the Dr is out of pocket $5... can you really see the majority of Dr's forgoing $5 per patient? That is at bulk billing clinics

For clinics where patient pays the GAP that gap will rise $5 also for every patient. (cut to medicare rebate).

catmad - can you show a link or C& P to where it states the  chroncially ill are exempt from the $7 fee? - in Budget documents or Govt Dept website.

---

Firstly the Dr takes $7 per pt... they get to keep $2 of that payment to go into off setting any pt they decide not to bulk bill. 

Joe did say it last night on Q&A but here is the link you asked for. 

Patient contributions will not be expected for many GP services that target patients with particular health needs, such as Health Assessments and Chronic Disease Management items. The Government is also continuing to provide grant funding for Indigenous primary health care.

http://www.budget.gov.au/2014-15/content/glossy/health/html/health_08.htm