The Wire

Rumours are flying thick and fast about who will be the winners and who will be the losers in the federal budget this year. Health funding could be in the firing line in next week’s budget… in particular, the Medicare Safety net. The safety net is a scheme brought in by the Howard government that covers 100% of your out of pocket expenses, if you have spent over a certain amount of money on health services. The rumours are that funds from the safety net, which currently costs around 320 million dollars a year, will be moved into preventative health measures that may benefit the disadvantaged. Some Doctors are saying this is a much needed move.