The federal government has a secret plan to slash benefits to people with private health insurance, the opposition says.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan argue a means test for private health rebates would save $100 billion over the next four decades.
But the coalition, which plans to vote against Labor's private health insurance plans in the Senate, says the government has another agenda.
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Opposition health spokesman Peter Dutton told ABC Radio that Labor had a "secret plan" to "slash the government support to those people who have private health insurance".
The government wants to limit the rebate to singles earning less than $75,000 a year and couples earning less than $150,000, arguing it would save the federal budget $100 billion between now and 2050.
Its original bill was rejected by the Senate in September.
The bill is scheduled to go back before the Senate again when parliament resumes this month.
A second rejection would give Labor a double-dissolution trigger.
