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| Sussan Ley: Getting ready for a back door blow against the battlers of Australia in April. |
The Federal Health Minister Sussan Ley has become the April Fool for 2015 for approving draconian increases for private health insurance from that date.
The Minister justified the increases by claiming there had been an increase in benefits paid to policy holders in the previous year.
Big deal. The funds only paid out more because they had sought and obtained a premium increase the year before.
Sussan Ley is happy for the health insurance funds to play catch up - as long as they are a year ahead of their long-suffering policy holders.
Her title should be changed from Minister for Health to Minister for Health Funds to show her enduring affinity with these corporate monoliths!
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| Premiums: Up, up and away! |
The Courier-Mail reports: The federal health minister has approved premium hikes for private health insurance from April 1.
Australians with private health insurance are facing premium hikes that are nearly three times the rate of inflation.
Health Minister Sussan Ley has approved April 1 increases averaging 6.18 per cent.
She justified the increases by citing a $1 billion lift in total benefits paid to policyholders in the year to the end of December.
Insurers paid out $17.3 billion in total, up 7.4 per cent on the previous year.
Insurers paid out $17.3 billion in total, up 7.4 per cent on the previous year.
