defendmedicare.info News A review of the news on Medicare, bulk-billing and the Health Crisis.
** Medicare Plus does little to stop bulk billing decline New Health Minister, Tony Abbott, outlined a revamped Medicare package in a $2.4 billion Medicare Poll primer (The Age 19/11/03). While the AMA leadership were supportive of the package most doctors saw good and bad (ABC 19/11/03) or were sceptical once the penny dropped (SMH 20/11/03). Health Economists were initially warm to the proposal with qualified support (The Age 19/11/03). It was not long before more considered assessments surfaced. Doctors warned another overhaul would be needed soon (Courier Mail 20/11/03). Geoff Pritchard, a former bulk-billing specialist surgeon at Tumut and a Country Labor candidate for Farrer, accused that Only the rich can afford to get sick (Albury Border Mail 20/11/03). Opposition spokeswoman for family and community services, Jacinta Collins, said Medicare Plus was a 'debt nightmare' (news.com.au 20/11/03). Northern Territory Health Minister, Jane Aagaard, says the Federal Government's Medicare package does nothing to help average Australians who are not on welfare. (ABC 24/11/03). The Australian Council of Social Services president, Andrew McCallum, went further in saying that low income singles miss out while millionaire families gain (ACOSS 24/11/03). Francis Sullivan, CEO Catholic Health Australia, said the Health System was Still Full Of Flaws (Catholic News 19/11/03). The Australian Consumers Association has labelled the package as Medicare Minus. Health Policy Officer, Martyn Goddard said "you only need safety nets when the system, when people are falling through nets in the system. If you're bulk-billed, you don't need a safety net..." (ABC 18/11/03). Doctors Reform Society president, Tim Woodruff, outlined how the package is inflationary: "What the doctors will then do is look at how much they are paying, and know that after $500 output of co-payments from a patient, if they charge them $100, $80 will come from the Government and the patient will only be charged $20."(ABC 18/11/03). This analysis of an inflationary affect on doctors fees was also stated by the Greens (The Age 18/11/03) The NSW Nurses Association have rejected the Medicare Plus package (Bombala Times 26/11/03) saying that "John Howard will have achieved his political goal of destroying Medicare as a universal, taxpayer-funded health care system if the Federal Parliament agrees to key features of his so-called MedicarePlus changes." Mary Dagmar Davies outlines how the Howard Government operates with a slow and determined stealth when it moves against the powerless and unfortunate. (Canberra Times 26/11/03). Kenneth Davidson argues that The people still support Medicare, even if the PM does not (The Age 27/11/03). In a surprise move the Labor Party, Greens, Democrats and Independent Senators chose to refer the package to another Senate Inquiry. (The Age 26/11/03) ** Bulk-billing continues decline While criticism of the Medicare Plus package has continued, the release of the Bulk-billing Statistics was overshadowed and lost in the media coverage given to John Howard (ABC 18/11/03) and Tony Abbott (The Age 21/11/03) selling their package. Bulk billing continued the decline in the September quarter (Defendmedicare.info 17/11/03). The bulk billing rate reached a 14 year low (The Age 15/11/03). http://www.defendmedicare.info/news/2003/11/17nov.htm The New rebate is no incentive to bulk-bill according to the chairman of the Border Division of General Practitioners, Dr Bill Walton (Albury Border Mail 19/11/03). This was echoed by The Rural Doctors Association of Queensland (ABC 19/11/03) and the The Illawarra Division of GPs (ABC 19/11/03). In Hobart the situation is moving from Bad to worse, say Tassie critics (Hobart Mercury 19/11/03). The Democrats have stated that the Package won't boost bulk-billing (The Age 18/11/03) According to statistics, Patients paying more to visit GP in ACT (Canberra Times 27/11/03), while a Tassie group fears for the poor (Hobart Mercury 18/11/03). ** Private Health Insurance In a little reported story Young people are fleeing private health cover, according to research by the Australia Institute (The Age 23/11/03). "...the number of people aged between 35 and 39 with hospital cover had fallen more than 13 per cent. Among those aged between 30 and 34, the drop-off had been nine per cent. But among those aged between 55 and 59, there had been an increase of more than 18 per cent in people taking private health care." "Mr Denniss said that in this year's September quarter, the number of Australians with private health cover had fallen to 43.3 per cent from 44.1 per cent." The ACCC has found that private health funds may be breaching consumer protection laws and misleading customers. (The Age 26/11/03) ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said the practices could breach the Trade Practices Act and amount to misleading or deceptive conduct. "It appears that health funds are changing their premium rates or benefits available even though consumers have paid up to 12 months in advance," he said. Government senators Gary Humphries, Guy Barnett and Sue Knowles proposed in their minority report on the six-month Senate inquiry on Medicare, that the Private Health Insurance rebate be increased from 30 to 40 per cent. Treasurer Peter Costello and Health Minister Tony Abbott rejected the proposal on budgetary grounds. (The Age 31/10/03) -------------------------- Full references for all the above are available on the website. http://www.defendmedicare.info/news/index.htm consumers (at) defendmedicare.info http://www.defendmedicare.info/ . -- -- 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]
