Opinion: Australians remain deeply sceptical about the value of private healthcare – it’s time for radical reform
Opinion: Australians remain deeply sceptical about the value of private healthcare – it’s time for radical reform

www.theguardian.com
Australians remain deeply sceptical about the value of private healthcare – it’s time for radical reform | Anthony Scott

What we need to to dump the government extortion that is the Medicare Levy Surcharge and the Lifetime Health Cover loading scam.
Yep, exactly this. Force everyone to use Medicare so there's no political incentive to gut it instead of a two tiered system.
It doesn't feel like an exaggeration to call it extortion either.
If you maintain the cheapest qualifying policy you are almost guaranteed to be paying for something of such little value that you will never choose to use it. Nobody benefits other than health insurance hareholders.
One of a large number of social, economic and environmental injustices that the ALP should fix but will not. They have the numbers. It's a rare opportunity.
It seems they are designed to funnel you into the arms of corporations. I've read that enough youth are just taking the surcharge and loading on the chin that insurers have started to worry. I've considered it--the value for money of private insurance is not great.
I'm not young, but I'm doing this.
My tiny ideological stand.
Perhaps instead of Medicare Levy they should call it Medicare Insurance.
And then ban health insurers from using the public healthcare network.