I asked Minister Hunt to help on the 24th of March 2022 and was ignored. Margaret didn’t matter to the Health Minister.
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Margaret on our wedding day, 30th of July 2009. I LOVED marrying Margaret. Minister Greg Hunt and the corrupt employees in the Health Department did not give a s**t about people like Margaret.
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Our official legal wedding on the 30th of July 2009. I LOVED Margaret and I LOVED marrying HER.
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Health Minister Greg Hunt, 24 March 2022
The Australian Health Department answers to the Australian Health Minister; in March 2022 that was Greg Hunt. Greg Hunt already knew about the health insurance scam. but I thought it was a good idea to ensure he could not deny knowing. If Hunt was put under enough pressure, he might even do something about the scam, but this was very unlikely. Hunt was not seeking re-election and the likely date of the next elections was the 22nd of May 2022.
This summarises my contact with the Health Minister in 2022.
Letter | Length | How Sent | Response Date | Response Length | Response Said |
Letter to Greg Hunt Health Minister dated 23 March 2022 | 7 pages | (1) Sent by email at 12:38 pm 23 March 2022 to ghunt@aph.gov.au
(2) Sent by Express Post to Greg Hunt, Minister for Health, PO Box 6022, House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 | Letter dated 17 May 2022 received by post from Brian Kelleher, Assistant Secretary, Department of Health | 1 page | The Minister could not respond “as the Government is now in caretaker role pending the outcome of the federal election on 21 May 2022”
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I emailed the letter and sent it by Express Post letter on the 23rd of March 2022. Greg Hunt ignored the letter. I finally received a zero content reply dated 17th of May 2022 which arrived after the change of government at the 22nd of May 2022 elections.
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The letter to Greg Hunt can be accessed via the link attached to this Blog.
I was fed up with the behaviour of Greg Hunt and his Department and I said this. Clearly, Greg Hunt and the Department knew about the health insurance scam and had decided to ignore this unlawful behaviour, even though the Health Minister had the power to stop it immediately.
I said this in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 of the letter.
I am aware that the matters I raise in this letter have been raised repeatedly with you personally, with your Ministerial staff, with senior executives in the Department of Health and with the Chief Executive of the Department of Health. Every attempt to induce you and the Department of Health to enforce the law and to stop the known unlawful behaviour of the private health insurance funds has so far been a complete waste of time. My own personal circumstances have been raised with your Ministerial Office on more than one occasion by Senator Stirling Griff, a man of whose integrity I have personal knowledge. Like everyone else who has tried to persuade you and your department to do your clear duty, all Senator Griff has received from your Office has been “a pocketful of mumbles”. In addition to Senator Griff, I am aware that representations have been made to you personally by the Honourable Nicolle Flint, Member for Boothy and by the Honourable Steve Georganas, Member for Adelaide. Mr Georganas is my local Member of Parliament. You can take it as completely guaranteed that this letter is my last attempt to persuade you to do what you should have done years ago. What follows can be treated as “refreshing” your memory on what you and your staff have already been told repeatedly.
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I highlighted Greg Hunt’s personal knowledge of Lauren Whiting, that he had spoken to her on the phone and abused her by claiming he [Hunt] was “not her claims agent”. I pointed out this was untrue.
I hate to disabuse you Minister, but ultimately you are the claims agent for each and every Australian who pays for private health insurance. You are MY claims agent because it is YOUR DUTY to enforce the laws made by the government of which you are a member. Your abuse of Ms Whiting reflects very poorly on you personally. |
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I itemised the dates of my HCF letters when I tried to discover from HCF, the legal reasons for its defiance of the law.
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I summarised my attempts to persuade the Ombudsman to intervene.
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I summarised my request for Lift to invoice us for all treatments not paid by HCF, how I had paid $6,978.00 in February 2022 and how HCF had ignored this invoice. I pointed out that HCF never acknowledged receipt of the invoices and that we had received no payments from HCF since December 2021.
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I said this to Hunt
In brief, HCF refuses to acknowledge receipt of claims, it has specifically refused to pay one claim, and it has treated all other claims we have personally submitted to it as if they have never been submitted. Underlining the contempt with which we have been treated by HCF is its complete refusal to attempt to explain its actions. I draw the implication that HCF is well aware that from a legal perspective, its only viable legal course of action is to say nothing and wait for Margaret to die. I am certain that HCF reasons that once Margaret is dead, I will lose interest in trying to make HCF explain its actions. The Legislative Puzzle Park I have very carefully examined the relevant legislative “puzzle park”. I am satisfied that HCF, NIB and Teachers Health, are knowingly and intentionally breaking the law. I also believe they are breaking the law knowing that the holders of health insurance who are affected by their unlawful actions will almost certainly die or lack the energy to call them to account for their unlawful behaviour. Your staff are well aware of the relevant legal requirements and they are well aware that they are being ignored. So too, is the Health Department. |
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In the final sentences of my letter, I said this.
My request to you is simple. Stop this atrocious behaviour from continuing and spreading. Stop it now. You should be shocked and dismayed by what has happened. I hope you are, but I presume you simply don’t care. |
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Any conscientious Health Minister should have been shocked to receive a letter like this and would have taken urgent steps to investigate.
Health Minister Hunt ignored my letter. He did not care.
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More highlights from my letter to Hunt and a copy of his very late, very useless reply are in the next blog.
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