CEDA backs Keating's 3 per cent super healthcare subsidy

17 April 2013
| By Staff |
image
image
expand image

The Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) has called for three per cent of superannuation to be put aside to cover healthcare costs, as part set of recommendations aimed at ensuring the long-term sustainability of the country's universal healthcare system. 

The recommendation echoes former Prime Minster Paul Keating's suggestions made at the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) conference last year. 

CEDA said Government needed to either increase the current super rate or use a portion that has already been paid to cover the increasing cost of Australia's universal healthcare system. 

CEDA chief executive professor Stephen Martin said Australia risked the rationing of healthcare services, such as longer waiting times for surgery, if it did not introduce reforms to contain the increasing cost of Australia's universal healthcare system. 

The system would not be sustainable as it was if the current rate of increasing utilisation, he said, with meaningful reform being the only way out. 

"The combination of growing utilisation of services, combined with an ageing population, has the potential to result in spiralling healthcare costs for future generations and will also reduce government funding available for other key areas from education to infrastructure," he said. 

Additionally, CEDA recommended designating a portion of tax revenue directly to healthcare spending to provide a cap on spending and improve the transparency of healthcare costs. 

Further recommendations included increasing the use of generic drugs by taking advantage of opportunities when patents expired, and building on Australia's comparative advantage in the biomedicine industry. 

CEDA suggested better engagement between science, technology, engineering and mathermativs students with industry to ensure courses reflect skills demand in the industry. 

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest developments in Super Review! Anytime, Anywhere!

Grant Banner

From my perspective, 40- 50% of people are likely going to be deeply unhappy about how long they actually live. ...

1 year 4 months ago
Kevin Gorman

Super director remuneration ...

1 year 4 months ago
Anthony Asher

No doubt true, but most of it is still because over 45’s have been upgrading their houses with 30 year mortgages. Money ...

1 year 4 months ago

Australia’s largest superannuation fund has confirmed all members who had funds stolen during the recent cyber fraud crime have been reimbursed. ...

4 days 2 hours ago

As institutional investors grapple with shifting sentiment towards US equities and fresh uncertainty surrounding tariffs, Australia’s Aware Super is sticking to a discipl...

4 days 3 hours ago

Market volatility continued to weigh on fund returns last month, with persistent uncertainty making it difficult to pinpoint how returns will fare in April. ...

4 days 3 hours ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS

ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND