Millions of patients are set to be hit with a GP Tax even bigger than the original proposal from today under Tony Abbott’s four year freeze on Medicare rebates.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Tanya Plibersek, said in a statement today, “The rebate freeze is just the latest version of the GP Tax which has seen the Government attempt to slug patients with a $7 fee, a $5 fee a $20 fee and now an $8.43 fee through the back door.”

Beginning today, the freeze will rip $1.3 billion out of general practice over the next four years, a move the highly respected Medical Journal of Australia finds could lead to even higher charges than the original GP Tax.

Even though the rebate reduction has been retracted, the freeze will have greater impact with time — nearly double the amount of the rebate reduction by 2017–18. For economic reasons, the freeze may still force GPs who currently bulk bill to charge co-payments.

“The rebate freeze confirms Tony Abbott’s promise that the GP Tax is dead is as believable as his promises before the election of no new taxes and no cuts to health.” Stated Ms Plibersek

“The Abbott Government remains committed to the GP Tax and Medicare will never be safe under Tony Abbott.”