Alison Penfold MP launches petition to protect private health insurance rebates for older Australians
Federal Member for Lyne Alison Penfold MP is supporting the launch of a petition calling on the House of Representatives to oppose the Albanese Government’s proposed reduction of the private health insurance rebate for Australians aged 65 and over.
Ms Penfold said she is appalled at the targeting of older Australians by the Albanese Government to try to manage its poor budget management.
“This policy is appalling and I join in the collective outrage of so many people across the electorate,” Ms Penfold said.
“Lyne is the oldest electorate in the country, and I don’t need statistics to tell me that this terrible policy will hit tens of thousands of local people hard and in their back pocket.
“For many older Australians, private health insurance is not a luxury. It’s not a ‘rich’ person’s product, as Labor believes.
“It’s pensioners and self-funded retirees on fixed pensions who have paid for it over many years so they can access care when they need it and help take pressure off the public hospital system.”
Ms Penfold said the proposed reduction risked forcing seniors to pay more for cover at the stage of life when they are most likely to need hospital treatment.
“At its worst, older Australians will be paying up to $1,600 more annually for their private health insurance,” Ms Penfold said.
“If older Australians are forced to downgrade or drop their private health insurance, that does not make health care more affordable. It simply shifts more pressure onto families and onto an already stretched public hospital system.
“I don’t even want to think about what this will mean for local hospitals like Manning Base, where the professional health staff are already overwhelmed and under-resourced.
“The Albanese Government needs to hear the roar of older Australians. Only then will we get an ‘oh, we have changed our mind’ rejection of this policy.
“This petition is for all older Australians and will send a clear message to the Albanese Government that they oppose the policy,” Ms Penfold said.
The petition will be available for signing at Ms Penfold’s electorate offices in Wauchope and Taree. As well as this, an online petition is currently being created to give people another way to show their support and have their say. Further details will be shared once the petition is available. It has been drafted so it can be tabled in the Federal Parliament.
Local businesses, community groups, and organisations that would like to host the petition are encouraged to contact Ms Penfold’s office, with copies available to be dropped off for customers and community members to sign.
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