Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

Clearly, cataract surgery is an area where this government is trying to ensure that we can get savings of $98 million over four years, at $24.5 million a year, but in doing so it is also about ensuring that those people who do require complex procedures also get a rebate of $850. We know that those on the opposite side do not want to support budget initiatives that ensure that we use the budget to help those people, including seniors, who require assistance right across the health system.

This government is not putting itself on the side of ophthalmologists and ensuring that they continue to receive $585,000 from Medicare each year. They earn, on average, $154,000 from cataract procedures alone. So this government is putting in place appropriate measures to ensure that consumers and patients benefit from the new MBS. When you look at the actual statistics themselves, you will see that ophthalmologists conduct, on average, about 243 cataract operations per year, which are covered 100 per cent by the MBS, 75 per cent by the MBS rebate and 25 per cent by private health insurance. Ophthalmologists will of course continue to charge their high fees, but we want to ensure that the government does not have to pay— (Time expired)