00:01Well, Health Minister Mark Butler says the decision to delay the implementation of these
00:07price caps for the Support at Home program is due to what he's described as price volatility
00:13in the economy, largely driven by the ongoing war in the Middle East, and he's also pointed
00:18to the fact that price caps within the National Disability Insurance Scheme, or MDIS, is resulting
00:24in some providers charging the maximum rate, and he doesn't want to see this happen in
00:29the aged care sector.
00:32We want to do more work on price caps to make sure it doesn't lead to unintended consequences,
00:38particularly the price inflation that sometimes price caps does result in if you set the cap
00:44at the wrong level.
00:45It's a very volatile situation right now.
00:47We've got a relatively new Support at Home program in place.
00:50There's broader price volatility in the economy, so we want to make sure that we do this,
00:55if we are going to do this at a time that's right.
00:58Health Minister Mark Butler speaking there, and in wake of the decision to, I suppose,
01:04delay the rollout of these price caps, the Federal Government has announced a suite of
01:09measures, fresh consumer protections for older Australians, including encouraging providers
01:15to limit the frequency of price rises to no more than two times per year.
01:20Now, these measures have been welcomed by Peak Body Council on the Aging Australia.
01:26Take a listen.
01:27Where government's landed today is probably the right way forward to allow more time for
01:32that consideration while introducing stronger support for people right now.
01:38And what's Mike Butler had to say regarding concerns about the lowering of the private
01:42health rebate for older Australians?
01:45Well, Jo, the lowering of the private health rebate for Australians over the age of 65 was
01:50announced as part of the budget.
01:52And given that the government estimates that around 3 million older people in Australians will
01:59have to pay somewhere in the figure of $226 to $255 more per year under this change, you can
02:07understand that there has been some concern around 44,000 older Australians are expected to ditch their
02:15private health insurance as a result of this change. Mark Butler was asked this morning whether or not
02:21the government is standing firm on its decision to reduce the rebate so that it's in line with the
02:28amount paid by younger Australians. He said that while he understands that this change is unwelcome for
02:35many, the government hasn't changed its position and is holding firm.
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