Here is the latest news summary on Medicare, Bulk-billing and the Health Crisis. DefendMedicare.info News http://www.defendmedicare.info/news/index.htm
Thursday 28 August 2003 ** Medicare inquiry hears of Doctor shortage Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Dr Bill Glasson said Doctor shortage set to worsen. "Patients are saying they cannot just find bulk-billing doctors – they cannot find doctors," he said outside Brisbane hearings of the Senate Select Committee on Medicare (Courier Mail 26/08/03). The loss of bulk billing has been particularly severe in Queensland where Southeast GPs lead way in bulk-billing shutdown. (Courier Mail 26/08/03). Medical students have told the Medicare inquiry they oppose the Federal Government's proposed six-year bonding scheme, which would commit graduates to rural service. Australian Medical Students Association (AMSA) president Nick Brown said "If they're serious about dealing with this issue they'll listen to what we have to say and provide more money for the solution. They'll provide unbonded medical school places, more funding for rural clinical schools and more incentive-based programs to entice students voluntarily into areas of need." Mr Brown also told the inquiry many young doctors are joining law firms and pharmaceutical companies, which is exacerbating the country's critical doctor shortage.(ABC 27/08/03) ** Health Minister - a mouthpiece for PM The Health Minister, Kay Patterson says Medicare package misunderstood. (ABC 26/08/03) But the minister has proven she is a mouthpiece for John Howard and she has been described as "Monty Pythonish", "pathetic" and "embarrassing" by private hospital executives in an article titled Minister of Silly Talks. (Daily Telegraph 28/08/03) Bill Glasson, president of the AMA said "A lot of the major political initiatives are coming out of Prime Minister and Cabinet, that's where the firepower is". David Gazard – a former adviser to the Prime Minster – has recently been appointed to her office. ** Federal State Health Funding in Crisis On Friday the 29th August Prime Minister and all State and Territory Ministers meet. The Federal Government refuses to put Health even on the Agenda, while the State Premiers are demanding it be the number one issue. All the States are pressing for a hospital cash boost due to more patients fronting up to Emergency Departments with minor ailments as they cannot find a bulk-billing GP.(The Age 26/08/03). Simon Crean, leader of the Federal Opposition, has urged a new health deal. (Courier Mail 27/08/03). Australia's major health provider and consumer groups have written to the Prime Minister warning that the Health Care Agreement offered by the Commonwealth to the States and Territories to run public hospitals rewards inefficient, expensive practices and will take patient health care backwards. (Melbourne Indymedia 27/08/03). Health Reform is urgently necessary as patients suffer under health bureaucracy, National Public Hospital Clinicians Taskforce (NPHCT) spokesperson Paul Bauert told the media. "If they are going to sign off on these health care agreements, do it for one year, so that in the next 12 months that process of reform could be re-engaged with the Federal Government and we really bring about change in our unsustainable public health system," (ABC 28/08/03) Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) have released a survey which shows that one in four Australians say that hospital care is inadequate. Andrew McCallum, ACOSS President, said: "The Federal Government needs to take urgent action to work with the States and Territories to restore public confidence by providing more resources to our public hospitals and by reforming the entire health system. The first step is to discuss health reform at tomorrow's (Friday 29 August) COAG meeting and to roll-over the existing Federal funding for public hospitals while a new program of health reform is thrashed out with doctors, nurses, other health professionals, and consumers." This shows that Hospital Emergency Departments are in distress, such as in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne (The Star 28/08/03) Doctors and nurses working in public hospitals have joined with consumer groups to urge the Prime Minister to fix Australia's public health system and to reconsider his opposition to discuss plans for health reform at Friday's COAG meeting with State/Territory leaders. (ACOSS 28/08/03) NSW Premier, Bob Carr, has said Health Reform is the Number one issue, and demanding the issue take precedence over all others. (SMH 28/08/03). This follows the ACT signing a health deal for extra $15m (Age 28/08/03). The extra funding will come out of other Government programs, thus reducing funding for other states in these programs. Victoria is seeking an extra $300m. Qld is inswayed by ACT backdown, and Qld Premier Beattie has threatened a walkout of Friday's meeting with the PM. WA to hold out for better fed health deal. (ABC 28/08/03). Premier Carr has also collected petitions with 25,000 signatures from people who want Medicare protected. "These petitions have been signed by Australian families worried about the increasing difficulty of taking their children to see a doctor. Few families are able to afford an extra $800 a year to see a doctor." He accused the Federal Government of inaction in stopping the decline in bulk-billing. "It has the money to increase the payment to GPs under the Medicare Benefits Schedule to a fair, indexed rate, but it simply refuses to do so." (The Australian 28/08/03) ** While Health Funds flounder Howard's assault on Medicare is proceeding apace A report by management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has found that Health funds are at 'risk of collapse' (The Age 25/08/03). Only six of Australia's 44 health insurance funds are viable. Pathologists face loss of bulk-billing unless Government increases rebate. Ed Wilson, a consultant to the Australian Association of Pathology Practices, said pathologists would not be able sustain that amount of bulk-billing without an increase of at least 6 per cent a year in Medicare benefits from the Government. (SMH 25/08/03) All State Premiers are pressuring the Prime Minister for a Health Summit at this Friday's Council of Australian Governments meeting. The Prime Minister is refusing to place the Health Crisis on the summit agenda. The Government has offered $42 billion over 5 years. The states and territories want a 27 per cent increase – about $4 billion more than the $42 billion they are being offered – and other reforms that include alleviating the burden on public hospitals to look after the aged and those who could be treated by a GP.(Australian 25/08/03) Kenneth Davidson comments on the Government's offering in an Age opinion piece: Howard's assault on Medicare is proceeding apace: "The Commonwealth argues it has been generous in offering a 17 per cent real increase in public hospital funding for the next five years. The offer sounds generous enough, but as a former NSW auditor-general, Tony Harris, pointed out last week in The Australian Financial Review, this is a compound rate of growth of 3 per cent. If the economy grows a little faster than 3 per cent, as it has over the past few years, the Commonwealth share of spending on public hospitals will decline as a percentage of gross domestic product. Given the ageing of the population, changes in medical technology, and the high priority individuals place on their health, the proportion of GDP devoted to public hospitals should be increasing, not falling. The pressure on public hospitals is also being exacerbated by Commonwealth policies restricting bulk-billing. This deflects demand for primary health care from GPs to hospital emergency departments. And some expensive acute care beds are being occupied by people unable to get aged-care beds. " On Sunday the 24th August the Minister came under attack by health groups claiming "she is not robust enough to drive the crucial portfolio and that key decisions are being made in the prime minister's office." Australian Medical Association president Bill Glasson said "The engine room is often elsewhere, and she is in the driver's seat trying to sell the policy." (The Age 24/08/03) Bulk-bill figures hidden, says ALP. The latest figures on bulk-billing are due out for the June Quarter. The Labor party has accused Federal Health Minister Kay Patterson of sitting on the figures so they are not available at the Council of Australian Governments meeting on Friday. A spokewoman for the Minister said although the figures are usually released 6 weeks after the end of a quarter, they are released 8 weeks after the budget. (The Age 23/08/03) ------------------------- Full references for all the above are available on the website. consumers (at) defendmedicare.info http://www.defendmedicare.info/index.htm . -- -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Sub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
