defendmedicare.info News Contents * Medicare Campaign * Upcoming events * Medicare Stats * For those with Health Insurance * Preventative Health * Rural and Remote Health
** Medicare Campaign The Minister for Health, Kay Patterson, was invited to attend and address the Medicare rally in Melbourne on September 5, but her office did not even bother to respond. Instead, the Minister launched an attack denouncing her Labor counterpart, Julia Gillard, for "speaking at a 'radical protest'...organized by anarchists and fringe trade union activists". Julia Gillard replied: "Health Minister Patterson must be the only person in the world who thinks that rallying to defend and extend Medicare is a far Left cause. Medicare enjoys the support of the vast majority of Australians and has done so for years." See reports of the rally: http://melbourne.indymedia.org/news/2003/09/53869.php http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2003/553/553p5c.htm After the rally I caught up with one of the speakers, community health activist Helen Lee, who outlined what the effect of the Medicare changes will mean to Health Consumers. http://defendmedicare.info/news/2003/09/10sep_rally.htm#consumer Addressing a Victorian Fabian Society meeting, former Labor Health Minister and former Governor General, Bill Hayden, made a vociferous attack on the changes to Medicare by the Howard Government. He compared the Howard Government to a pack of "chanting daleks" setting about "the destruction of the universal health insurance cover with a relish and ruthlessness perhaps redolent of the fifth-century sack of Rome." Read an edited extract at The Age: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/10/1062902112967.html While Bill Hayden was attacking the economics of the subsidisation of private health insurance, the Minister, Kay Patterson, is having trouble keeping a lid on Health Fund premiums. Premiums rose 7.4 per cent this year and 6.9 per cent last year. In a leaked email Senator Patterson told a private hospital lobby group that a 7 per cent premium increase next year would "be the end of private health insurance" because people would start dropping their private cover. A spokesperson for the Minister strenuously denied the minister said rising premiums could destroy health insurance, according to The Age (11/09/03) The Labor Opposition has recieved petitions with over 150,000 people calling for improved Medicare services (ABC Online 18/09/2003), while the Prime Minister accused the Opposition of running a 'campaign of fear'.(ABC Online 18/09/2003) ** Upcoming events include: Sydney protests on Wednesday October 1st to celebrate Medicare's 20th birthday party. For more info see: http://www.labor.net.au/campaigns/medicare/news/birthday.html Melbourne Rally on Friday 3rd October outside the State Library at 5pm. For more info see: http://www.defendandextendmedicare.org/rally.php Tasmanian Day of Action on Wednesday 22nd October. For more info see: http://hacsutas.asn.au/news/82.html ** Medicare Stats There has been an unprecedented fall in the number of patient visits to GPs in the first half of 2003. About 3 million fewer visits which represents a saving of $21.7million for the Government. Victorian Medicare Action Group spokesman, Rod Wilson, said the poorest patients were missing out on treatment because they could not afford to see a doctor. "These people already have the worst health outcomes in the community and should be seeing their GP as often as required," he said. Martyn Goddard, health spokesman for the Australian Consumers Association, said the rising cost of seeing a doctor was the most plausible explanation. (The Age 12/09/03) ** For those with Health Insurance Dr Joe Toscano, Co-convenor of Defend and Extend Medicare, outlined the reasons why those who are insured with a Health Fund should be extremely concerned with the Government's changes to Medicare. Read his analysis and comments here: http://defendmedicare.info/news/2003/09/17sep.htm ** Preventative Health The Health Minister, Kay Patterson, said the government will not pay for chicken pox and pneumococcal immunisations recommended by the National Health and Research Council. The government has previously funded all childhood vaccines recommended by the NHMRC. The AMA's Michael Rice says he is stunned. "Senator Patterson wanted to be remembered as the minister for prevention, well unhappily she's fallen at the first hurdle." These vaccinations will cost up to $500. Labor's health spokeswoman, Julia Gillard, said "It's pretty distressing we're now at a stage where whether or not you immunise your child properly depends on how much money you've got." (ABC Online 18/9/03) It seems preventative health is now becoming a two tier hierarchy where those on low incomes may very well watch their children sicken because they could not afford the recommended vaccines. Read the Ministers Press Release here: http://www.health.gov.au/mediarel/yr2003/kp/kp03205.htm Read the Shadow Minister's Press Release here: http://www.jgillard.com/Health%20media/mediareleases/Sept%2003/Sept%2019%2003%20Vaccine%20Program.htm ** Rural and Remote Health President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, Dr Ken Mackey, stated to the Senate inquiry: "Obviously, the number of doctors practising in rural and remote areas is far below what is required to service the growing non-urban bush and coastal populations", Dr Mackey said. "However, the single determining factor of bulk-billing rates is the inadequacy of the rebate to cover the cost of a rural consultation. It simply costs more to see a patient if you and they live outside of a metropolitan area." He further stated "The Government's A Fairer Medicare package does not adequately address the problem of cost for country practices." (Yorke Peninsula Country Times 09/09/2003) In Shepparton on the Parkside Estate, housing commission residents want a bulk-billing clinic set up in their community to address the problem of escalating health costs. (Shepparton News 18/09/03) In Tasmania, the public dental service was in crisis and was expected to get worse. The Auditor-General's report in November last year showed a blowout in Tasmania's waiting lists for dental treatment of up to 20 years for pensioners and healthcare card-holders. Elderly public patients were waiting for dentures for up to four years, according to Australian Dental Association Tasmanian secretary Jeff Young.(Hobart Mercury 18/09/03) This is another reason why Medicare needs to be extended to cover dentistry. Inverell: Member for Northern Tablelands (NSW), Richard Torbay, said "I'm disappointed to learn Inverell has joined at least 59 towns who have no bulk billing doctor," Inverell has 11 doctors. Mr Torbay commented "In the past 10 years the increases in the MBS rebate have been significantly below the consumer price index (CPI) and have not covered the costs of general practice. The answer to the looming GP shortages and the reduction of bulk billing services is that the Federal Government must pay doctors a fairer, properly indexed fee under the Medicare system." He said proposed Commonwealth reforms did not offer any incentive program to continue bulk billing. Inverell does not have a bulk-billing doctor since August 13. (Inverell Times 19/09/03) Townsville (Qld) residents were meeting to discuss Medicare's future and voice their concerns on Saturday 20th September. (Townsville Bulletin 19/09/03). Residents on the New South Wales South Coast have organised a petition with 8,000 names calling for more support for Medicare and bulk-billing, and the re-introduction of a Commonwealth dental health program. (ABC Illawarra 19/09/03) -------------------------- 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]
