NSW Health Minister Ryan Park in Question Time | Illawarra Mercury | October 15 - video Dailymotion

Illawarra Mercury

Ryan Park speaking about new legislation which would force private health insurers to pay more for single hospital rooms.

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00:00My question is to the Minister for Health and Regional Health.

00:03Can the Minister please advise the House about the means Labor Government's work to ensure

00:08that the taxpayers of New South Wales are getting their fair share from private health

00:11insurance?

00:12Minister.

00:13A very good question and a very good advocate for the people of South West Sydney, particularly

00:21in and around services like Caritani, that I know he's had a very strong relationship

00:25on and we were recently able to expand.

00:29This is an important piece of legislation that we have embarked on and started the process

00:36this week.

00:37We don't have to use it, we don't have to use it, but I want to be clear to the people

00:40of New South Wales this.

00:43The Treasurer and I are not going to sit idle by and see $140 million ripped out of our

00:49system that taxpayers are forced to find when private health insurance companies are currently

00:56receiving some of the largest profits in this country.

01:00It is time, Mr. Speaker, with the demands on health care, with the demands on health

01:05care staff, with the demands on services across New South Wales, it's time they pay their

01:11fair way.

01:12And I want to outline this very, very clearly.

01:14In New South Wales, Mr. Speaker, it costs around about $1,075 a day to operate one of

01:21our beds.

01:23That's roughly the amount, not exact, but that's roughly the amount.

01:27$892 is what we charge private health insurers for that single room rate.

01:34Now that's important and I'm very pleased that around about 44 of the 53 private health

01:39insurance companies, Mr. Speaker, have come on board and said, that's fair, we'll pay

01:44our own way, we'll pay our own way.

01:47There are a small group, there are a small group that is not happy with the 17% subsidy

01:53that we provide, the difference between the $1,075 and the $892.

01:59They want to provide, they want to pay just over $400 for that.

02:05That would equate to, Mr. Speaker, about a 56% subsidy from taxpayers.

02:10Now I know comments today from some private health insurers that this will increase premiums.

02:17Well, be careful of this, be careful of this, because under that theory, and let's pretend

02:23that theory works, then premiums should have been reduced over the last few years because

02:30they haven't paid their way, because they haven't paid their way.

02:34Now that's fairly easy to understand.

02:39If the theory was, this will increase premiums that way, then that theory would reverse opposite,

02:46that premiums should have been going down when they didn't pay it.

02:49Mr. Speaker, that hasn't happened.

02:53Now I'm interested in what the opposition do, because we've done some checks on Hansard,

03:00and this was a bill that I think Treasurer Baird introduced, 2012-13, had a support of

03:07it.

03:08So they supported it.

03:09Mr. Speaker, we know a lot of people over there supported it back there because we were

03:24in the opposition for a long time, and those of us who were here since 2011, 2013, it was

03:28their side and government, just for the people in the gallery.

03:30They supported it.

03:31So I'm assuming they'll support it this time.

03:34I'm assuming they'll support it.

03:38As the Premier said, trying to find where they sit on things is a bit difficult.

03:45But I would have thought, Mr. Speaker, I would have thought on these few facts, you'd back

03:53it in.

03:54We always know at the moment, every single person in this chamber knows at the moment

04:02that healthcare is under extreme pressure and demand.

04:05In fact, we know that healthcare workers doing these services and carrying out these

04:11services are under extreme demand at the moment.

04:15We also know that the cost of health services are increasing.

04:19So I would have thought at a time when the government is already providing a 17% subsidy,

04:25and that 44 out of 53 health insurers have said, we'll get on board, that I think you

04:32would read the tea leaves and say it might be a good idea to back public healthcare,

04:38back the delivery of health services, back the community who expect those delivery of

04:43health services.

04:44So, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to have discussions and negotiations with

04:51private health insurers.

04:53The Treasurer and I have made that very, very clear.

04:56We don't need to enact this legislation, but I'll make it very clear to them.

05:00The time is coming to get on board and the time is coming to pay your way.

05:06The people of New South Wales have subsidised you for too long.

05:11And just the same way that Treasurer Baird demand fairness in the system, so too do the

05:19Treasurer and I.

NSW Health Minister Ryan Park in Question Time | Illawarra Mercury | October 15

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