Blog No. 180 - Minister for Health Mark Butler: 19 February 2025

Like his predecessor Greg Hunt, new Health Minister Mark Butler was uninterested in forcing insurers to obey the law.

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Margaret in Ireland, 4th of January 2016.

Dublin on the 6th of January 2016.

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Letter to Australian Minister for Health Mark Butler

Mark Butler became Health Minister after the 21st May 2022.  I wrote to Butler on the 8th of July 2022 twice.  I heard nothing from Butler. This is a link to view the letter. 

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This is a Butler summary.

Communication	Length	Sent	Response Date	Response Length	Response
Letter to Mark Butler 8 July 2023	13 pages	Email to mbutler@aph.gov.au 4:45 pm 8 July 2022	Nil	Zero	Zero
Letter to Mark Butler 8 July 2023	13 pages	Email to bonnie.pederson@aph.gov.au 11.07 am 9 July 2022	Nil	Zero	Zero
“How the Health Insurance Funds’ Scams Work”	5 pages	Email to mbutler@aph.gov.au 4:45 pm 8 July 2022	Nil	Zero	Zero
“How the Health Insurance Funds’ Scams Work”	5 pages	Email to bonnie.pederson@aph.gov.au 11.07 am 9 July 2022	Nil	Zero	Zero
Copy of letter to Mark Johnson, Chairman of HCF	13 pages	Email to mbutler@aph.gov.au 4:45 pm 8 July 2022	Nil	Zero	Zero
Copy of letter to Mark Johnson, Chairman of HCF	13 pages	Email to bonnie.pederson@aph.gov.au 11.07 am 9 July 2022	Nil	Zero	Zero

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Summary of Butler letter.

I had written to Hunt The best I could say about Hunt was that he was lazy Hunt had ignored my letter What was the relationship between Hunt and the health insurers? My letter was about repetitive false and misleading conduct and cartel behaviour by  Bupa; HCF; Teachers’ Health; and NIB. “How the Health Insurance Funds’ Scams Work” summarised the processes used by the insurers to conduct scams which had been ignored by Hunt for at least 4 years. I summarised Margaret’s experience with ampulla cancer, the exercise medicine she had received from Lift and our discovery the health insurers had refused to pay what the law said they had to pay for the Lift treatments.  I said after I wrote letters to every Director of HCF, NIB and Teachers Health, the insurers had finally paid multiple thousands of dollars to Lift. I said the Commonwealth Ombudsman had zero interest law enforcement. I said invoices we submitted to HCF were ignored and never appeared on our official HCF claims record, even as rejected claims.  I said the fraudulent claims’ records amounted to crimes. I told Butler the false claims histories were fundamental to the scam by the insurers - if the claims did not appear on history record, the insurers could assert the claims “never existed” and had never been unlawfully rejected. I told Butler that by early June 2022, it seemed: HCF was about to pay the many thousands of dollars it owed Lift; HCF had promised in writing to pay; HCF then invented an excuse to refuse to pay. HCF, NIB and Teachers Health, had intentionally broken the law knowing their customers would usually die or lack the energy to argue about their unlawful behaviour. Previous Minister Hunt and staff in the Health Department were well aware that the law was being ignored. The refusal of the Health Department to enforce the law was corrupt. The most significant problems were: The funds broke the law knowing there were no significant consequences; and The Health Department which should be enforcing the law did not give a rat’s arse.  12.3 The ONLY logical explanation was the insurers knew they were “protected” and I believed the relevant officer in the Health Department was a Penny Shakespeare who was: Incompetent; or Had no interest in enforcing the law governing the health funds; or  Running a “protection racket” for the health funds. My letter to conclude. “I ask you as Minister for Health … to use your Ministerial power and order the health funds to obey the law.  The legislation gives you power to make appropriate Ministerial orders which the law says MUST be obeyed.  Show up your predecessor for the useless turd that he was; make the appropriate orders.  Do this not just for my Margaret and me, but for all of the other Australians who are unable to get the health services they need because their predatory health insurance funds think that the law has no application to them.  While you are in the process of issuing the directions, clean out the crud in the Department of Health.  If Health Department officers continue to refuse to do their jobs, either fire them of put them in a meaningless, dead end job where they can no longer do real harm to the people whose taxes pay their wages. I also ask you as Minister for Health to make direct representations to the Treasurer.  Please ask the Treasurer to use his Ministerial power to direct/ order/ request (as appropriate) the ACCC to commence an in depth investigation of the health insurance funds.  The ACCC may not need much persuasion to do just this.  I am convinced that the problem goes vastly beyond Lift Cancer Care Services.  I believe that whenever any new health care provider is established, that health care provider has to convince the health funds to obey the law and pay the appropriate rebates for their patients.  If they do not do this, they “go under”.  Ask Ms Lauren Whiting to tell you about her experiences and about the stories she has been told about the experiences of other health service providers. Please, do not act like Greg Hunt.  I think he wanted only to do as little as possible and had no interest in whether or not he made the lives of his fellow Australians better.  They meant nothing to him. There are probably many other avenues that can and should be pursued.  At the moment, these are my suggestions.  Above all, please help make the remaining time that I have with Margaret that little bit better by confirming that my current Minister for Health cares about doing his job properly.  If you do that, it might mean I can spend more time doing things that – unlike having to write letters like this – matter to me.  Things that matter to me include having coffee with Margaret while I still can; watching tv with Margaret while I still can.  You probably know what I mean.  I am sure there are people in your life who matter to you and to whom you are very important.  I want to be able to do for as long as I can, the same simple things that you probably want to do.” I will do anything I can to help.  Just get your staff to ask me.  I have multiple ring binders with copies of letters and emails.  Good luck being Minister for Health (Purgatory). I understand that Ms Whiting of Lift Cancer Care Services will also be writing to you seeking your help.

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The next elections are due within weeks.  I have heard nothing at all from Butler.  The current government deserves oblivion as its fate.  It clearly cares nothing for Australians.