I suspect it's rather more simple than that. Medicare Card out of date ?? Choice 1; SmartCard. Sounds good. but need 100 points of identification and all the troubles that go with that. Advantages: nil Choice 2; normal MediCare card. Know it; no surprises no special requirements and it lets you get your rebate back.
Guess I'll take Choice 2. No sophisticated thinking going on here, and probably no real messages except that you would never establish a national identifier by waiting for people to line up with their 100 points. (and I suspect that's what the polies and PS got out of it too.) Michael Tooth GP Hobart [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > probably a good sign that you have a basically educated population in > Tasmania, that don't regard government > > individuals as gods or good fathers , to be entrusted with maximum > control over what littile benefit people get from > > their government. > > *On Mon May 29 22:14 , Ken Harvey sent: > > * > > Health smartcard fizzles > > http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19298551-23289,00.html > > <parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.news.com.au%2Fstory%2F0%2C20867%2C19298551-23289%2C00.html> > > Karen Dearne > May 30, 2006 > > Scrapped: Tony Abbott spruiked the Medicare smartcard in 2004, but only > 1 per cent of eligible Tasmanians gave it the nod > > THE Medicare smartcard launched in Tasmania two years ago has been > quietly scrapped, a Senate estimates hearing has been told. > > More than $4.5 million was spent on developing the card, which featured > a microchip with far greater data capacity than the magnetic strips on > current Medicare cards. > > Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott launched the smartcard in > Launceston > in 2004 as part of the now stalled HealthConnect electronic patient > record program. It is understood only 1 per cent of eligible Tasmanians > expressed interest in registering for the card. > > Labor Party Queensland Senator Claire Moore said news that the program > had ended was a surprise. "We were informed by Human Services officials > that the Tasmanian trial had ended as of last Thursday, and that the > lessons from it would flow into the wider access card project," Ms > Moore > said. "I'm wondering when they would have got around to telling us > if we > hadn't asked the question." > > Since the smartcard was developed, Medicare Australia has become > part of > the Human Services mega-department, which is planning its own > multiple-agency card. > > A spokeswoman for Human Services Minister Joe Hockey said no final > decision had been made on the card, but the Tasmanian trial was being > reassessed in light of Government approval for the access card. > > "We're trying to work out how to manage the transition," she said. "We > don't want people to come in and register for the Medicare smartcard > and > then have to get a new one when the access card is up and running. > > "We may be in a position to announce what's happening later in the > week." > > People who already have the Medicare smartcard will be able to continue > using it, but the planned national extension of the card will not > proceed. > > Problems with establishing proof of identity for enrollment in the > program were revealed in Senate estimates hearings in February. Some > Tasmanians had been denied cards because they could not provide the > necessary documents. > > Meanwhile, Mr Hockey was busy selling the virtues of the proposed > government access card to the Australian Medical Association conference > in Adelaide on Saturday. > > "Customers won't have to deal with so much red tape and bureaucracy, as > their cards will prove who they are and remove the necessity to > repeatedly go through the proof of identity process." > > A one-off registration process would be "as convenient as possible", he > said. > > Mobile teams would be formed to help register people living in nursing > homes and remote communities as the card was phased in from 2008. > > Mr Hockey said the "more radical fringes" of the privacy lobby had > tried > to reignite an Australia Card debate, "however the public sees through > the tired rhetoric". > > "The access card will be your passport to government services," he > said. > "Rather than carrying around multiple cards that are susceptible to > fraud, the card will serve as a set of electronic keys. This will > enhance the individual's privacy." > > Mr Hockey said the access card was not a national identity card because > individuals would control the information held on it. It would not be > mandatory to register for it, and people would not have to carry it at > all times. > > "To put it bluntly, you won't have to take the access card with you to > the beach," he said. "Patients, for example, will not need to present > the card at a doctor's surgery unless they want a Medicare rebate. > > "When your details change, for example if you move house, you'll be > able > to update your information through an online portal or by visiting one > department. The card will then be updated when you next put it into a > government terminal." > > Agencies would be better able to monitor eligibility for concessions - > "smart technology allows us to match the cancellation of an entitlement > with the card immediately", he said. > > Information contained on the card and in the database would be > protected > from unauthorised access. "The penalties, including jail terms, that > apply to Human Services agency staff for inappropriately accessing a > database, may even be increased". > _______________________________________________ > Gpcg_talk mailing list > [email protected] > <javascript:top.opencompose('[email protected]','','','')> > http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk > > <parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fozdocit.org%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fgpcg_talk> > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Gpcg_talk mailing list > [email protected] > http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk _______________________________________________ Gpcg_talk mailing list [email protected] http://ozdocit.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gpcg_talk
