Universal backlash against Medicare cuts - Turnbull's Abbott Déjà vu

It's on!  
Again.

The Lieberals just don't get it. The reason why the 2014 budget was the death knell for the Abbott gov was because it was grossly unfair. There were people in wheelchairs taking part in marches in the city against the cuts to Medicare. Much of the 2014 budget remains blocked in the senate with no likely-hood of it ever becoming legislation. 

Now it looks like the proposed Medicare "co-payment by stealth" is going to go the same way. The cross benchers, the Greens, and Labor are all united in the same tune to block the legislation in the senate. Medicare is Labor's baby as they were the party that bought it in under Hawke. Labor is very proud of Medicare and know it's a winner with the electorate. People like universal healthcare. If there's one thing Labor won't back down on it's Medicare. 

With Labor and the Greens as one on the issue, that just leaves the cross benchers. They are already pointing to the unfairness of this latest Lieberal push at a Medicare co-payment. This in an environment where the ATO has just released information on the tax paid by the largest companies operating in Australia, with a quarter of them paying zero tax.

The government should not cut benefits to low-income earners if it won't crack down on tax avoidance by large corporations, which costs the budget billions in revenue, crossbenchers say.

Tax transparency data released on Thursday showed 600 of the 1500 largest companies operating in Australia in 2013-14 did not pay a cent in tax.

Crossbenchers have joined Labor and the Greens in challenging Treasurer Scott Morrison's assertion the government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon said on Friday any discussion about cutting welfare now had to be "seen in the context of which companies are paying tax and whether they're paying their fair share of tax".

"This has to form part of the equation now," Senator Xenophon said.

"I would suggest that with the release of this information the government has a revenue problem to look at."

Independent Victorian senator John Madigan said the fact so many big companies were paying no tax suggested there was a problem with compliance or Australia's tax law had too many loopholes.

He said the need for reform was obvious. "One issue it does highlight is the unhealthy focus of this government on increasing revenue by slugging those who can least afford it," Senator Madigan said.

He said the biggest savings measure in Mr Morrison's mid-year budget update was a crackdown on welfare compliance.

"Yet there was no mention of cracking down on the top end of town," he said.

"If Scott Morrison can squeeze nearly a billion dollars out of the most vulnerable people in our society, imagine what he could do if he went after his mates in the banking and finance sector." Sydney Morning Herald

The backlash is coming from the private sector health providers too, with Sonic Healthcare in particular absolutely scathing of the Turnbull gov. 

Sonic, a global pathology and radiology giant, said that it has no intention of absorbing the cuts and will charge payments and reduce services in rural and regional areas to protect its business. 

Chief executive Colin Goldschmidt said the move was "completely unexpected" and "blind-sided the industry". He plans to launch a political campaign and work with politicians and lobby groups that oppose the move.

"The vast majority of patients do not have to pay any out-of-pockets for their pathology and radiology, so we really believe this is a co-payment by stealth because the only way we can cope with cuts of this magnitude is by introducing a co-payment," he said. 

"It creates a financial barrier to receiving medical services and it discriminates against those who can't afford services. It creates an incentive for patients to miss important tests or scans that can lead to a misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis." Sydney Morning Herald

So much for "competition" keeping the lid on it all eh?

I've not seen opposition like this from all sectors of the community since January when Abbott tried his failed Medicare by stealth, attempting to cut what the gov gives to doctors.

I just don't understand that the Lieberals could be so stupid as to try it again. In an election year and all. Talk about an own goal. It's the first of Turnbull's economic efforts too, now he's going down the Abbott path.