00:02After a hip and two knee replacements, as well as a number of other surgeries, Denise
00:08Peters puts a high value on her private health insurance.
00:12It's like a security blanket, private health, because being in it for 47 years and to have
00:20that taken away from me, I'll be shattered.
00:24With government plans to reduce rebates for older Australians, Denise will be cutting
00:29back on her already tight food budget to keep her cover.
00:35I don't think it's fair.
00:38It's going to hurt a lot of pensioners.
00:41Right now, depending on income, the older you are, the bigger the rebate.
00:46Under the changes, everyone will receive the same.
00:49We don't think there is a strong policy rationale to pay different Australians different levels
00:54of support for their private health insurance membership when they are on the same income,
01:00simply because of age.
01:02The savings will add up to billions of dollars for aged care funding.
01:08The cutbacks come on top of a recent 4% rise in private health premiums.
01:13That's going to tip many over the edge, and yeah, they're going to move away from private
01:20health insurance, and that's good for nobody.
01:23With fears of more pressure on public hospitals, states are worried.
01:28We're already seeing a system that is somewhat under pressure from long-stay older patients.
01:34Cuts to the rebate for older Australians needs legislation to pass Parliament, but opposition
01:41concerns about the move could be a problem for Labor.
01:47As the debate continues, older Australians will be calculating whether they can afford another
01:53cost of living hike.
01:54.
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