Dire consequences if health reforms blocked
Nicola Roxon
posted Monday, 15 March 2010
Recent figures show that the mix of an ageing and growing population, rising levels of chronic disease and increasing cost of medical treatments is going to weigh heavily on our future health and hospital system.
Expenditure on chronic disease is expected to grow rapidly between 2002-03 to 2032-33, with the cost of treating diabetes alone projected to increase 436 per cent, from $1.6 billion to $8.6 billion.
The average health spending by the Commonwealth Government per person per year is projected to grow in real terms from $2,290 to $7,210 by 2050.
The number of people aged 65 to 84 is projected to double to around 6.3 million people by 2050 and the number aged 85 years and over will more than quadruple to around 1.8 million people.
Further adding to this burden is the fact that health spending on the aged is four times higher than health spending on people under 65.
These figures underline the dire consequences if we fail to reform the health system.
Australia simply cannot afford to put health and hospital reform in the too-hard basket for another decade.
These sorts of burgeoning health costs in the years ahead show how the Liberals are risking Australia's finances by blocking the Government's budget savings.
The bill for the Opposition’s financial irresponsibility and recklessness in health now stands at more than $2 billion and is growing with almost every sitting day.
Mr Abbott has already ripped $1 billion out of the health system. Now his determination to block our savings is putting even more pressure on Australia's health budget.
The Rudd Government has put forward a plan to deliver better health and better hospitals for Australia and ensure our system is better able to meet our future health care needs.
A national network, with sustainable federal funding, delivering services locally is the best way to achieve this.
It is time for Mr Abbott to support these essential health reforms.
Tags: Abbott, Health, Health Reform, Labor Government, NHHN