Nationals MP for Clarence, Richie Williamson, has condemned the Minns Labor Government for voting in the NSW Parliament to increase private health insurance premiums, a move that will directly impact 36,899* residents of the Clarence and Richmond Valleys.
The Health Insurance Levies Amendment Bill 2024, passed by the Minns Government, will add $78 for single memberships and $156 for family memberships, representing a 4.1% increase in premiums for NSW participants. This comes at a time when families are already facing intense cost-of-living pressures.
“This Bill is simple: it increases the tax on private health insurance, a tax unique to NSW," Mr Williamson said.
"During a cost-of-living crisis, introducing a new state government tax is bad politics and bad policy.
“Clarence and Richmond Valley residents will now face higher premiums, placing further strain on locals already grappling with rising expenses. This health tax on hard-working families is a direct result of Labor’s budget mismanagement."
Mr Williamson emphasised the toll on his community, noting the median household income of $58,817, with many families already struggling to maintain their private health insurance.
“Many families are hanging onto their private health insurance by their fingernails. This new tax could push more than 70,000 people in NSW out of private health insurance, increasing demand on already stressed public hospitals and extending already long wait times for surgeries,” Mr Williamson said.
“The additional financial burden will particularly affect elective surgery, with waiting times expected to rise from 69 days to 74 days, worsening the state’s standing, as NSW already has the longest waiting lists in Australia.”
In the Clarence electorate alone, private health funds have paid millions in benefits for essential procedures such as hip and knee replacements ($4.93 million), cardiology interventions ($2.19 million), glaucoma procedures ($2.52 million) and orthopaedic surgeries ($2.14 million).
"These numbers show how vital private health insurance is for locals,” Mr Williamson said.
“The Minns Labor Government is out of touch with the realities my electorate faces daily. It’s time they take responsibility for the real cost of their decisions.”
*Note: Private Health Insurance (PHI) data is obtained from the PHA National Survey of all private health insurance funds in Australia. Health fund coverage pertains to figures as at 31 December 2023. Enrolment data is from AEC as at 31 December 2023.
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