Title: Re: [ozmidwifery] Fw: PI Insurance - urgent - more interested midwives needed
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Actually I had a Direct Entry Mid Student
from Monash Uni in Frankston last year attend homebirths with me. Her last birth
required for her required number of 'attended births' was a home
birth.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 7:19
PM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Fw: PI
Insurance - urgent - more interested midwives needed
Dear Lisa and
All
I agree Lisa we need to dispel fear around HB but to do that it
needs to be accessible.
Your experience of BMid students attending HB
is a 1 off. I dont believe any other BMid course enable students to
work with IPMs doing HB.
They also have trouble finding continuity
models (and yes W&C in Adelaide is again different!).
But what I
want to respond to is the idea that insurance is just for midwives.
What about women? I have had 6 children at home and I have NO
FEAR!!! 2 with insurance and 4 without. I understand the legal issues
and I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and would be very unlikely to sue, but this is not
the point. I do however believe that HB women must have the same
rights as those accessing GPs and Obs. Insurance is seen as a
consumer safety mechanism just as it is seen as a professional protection
for midwives.
This policy to me is very worthwhile as it allows for
coverage on a per birth basis. It will enable many more midwives
wanting to dip their toe in to private practice that chance. It has
the capacity to transform maternity services. We can use the
flexibility of this policy (and the business arrangements they offer) to
recruit midwives who are currently reluctant to step outside of the system.
Private midwifery could actually be a mainstream option with women
choosing where they give birth. With PI ,midwives could be granted
admitting rights and could therefore offer the marketplace a service in the
home or hospital.
I have spent 6.5 years advocating for women and
midwives and 5 fighting for PI insurance. I can safely say that
politically midwives will get nowhere without PI.
With 200 midwives we
can sell 1-2-1 midwifery further than HB (although HB is my
passion!!).
Yesterday Manchester Unity refused to pay for a homebirth
(even though they offer midwifery rebates) citing a lack of PI as the
reason.
HBA are also reconsidering and MBF has ceased paying out for
HBs for the same reason.
I have never had private health insurance
and never will, but this is not about the few, again this is about reaching
many more women. Private Health is well supported by the Fed Gov and
it is a way to reach many more women. Fear can not be easily dispelled
by something that is so poorly supported (ie by public or private
funding).
With an influx of private midwifery there is a much better
chance that Medicare will flow on to midwives in their own right (rather
than the current idea re Medicare item number 16400 that requires Drs
overseeing midwives).
Lisa you cannot liken the UK to here.
Although I think team midwifery for homebirth is the pits, women in
the UK have a legislative right to a public funded homebirth, even saying
that in Australia would be considered reasonably outrageous. Unlike the UK,
Independent midwifery is the only option for the vast majority of Aust
women wanting a HB.
Barb Vernon is one very busy person who is pushed
and pulled in many directions but like us she is working hard to achieve
this. She is recording every e-mail etc received in the hope we get to 200
soon.
I hope you appreciate the benefits of this policy in both per
birth coverage and business structure; and whilst I acknowledge some IPMs
with established practices may have preferred that this was not a
requirement I hope that they too can think with a world view as we consumers
are.
In solidarity
Justine Caines
Homebirth
Australia
Maternity Coalition
For the homebirth
movement to move forward here we need to dispel the fear that women have
surrounding birth, no amount of insurance can do
that.
I don't think
that because they are the only company offering insurance at the moment that
is the main consideration at all. Would you buy rotten fruit if it was
all that was on offer ( not comparing rotten fruit with the offer at all you
understand).
At the uni of
SA student's can attend homebirths in fact I had a birth this week with a
student attending. How is it that they are able to and others eg in
South Aus Flinders Uni can't. Maybe it has more to do with politics of
birth than insurance.
I am doing my
best along with other independent's in this state to raise the profile of
birth, insurance is not the only way to do this.
I do get fed up
when on the odd occasion I have been with a woman birthing at the hospital
at the attitude of some (by no means all) but catching the baby isn't the be
all and end all of my job. Getting the woman the birth she desires is
way more important and if that means advocating from the side line I swallow
my pride and get on with it.
All that said I
would love as much as everyone else to have insurance as a rod to help me.
But it has to be right and open discussion is really important even
before we blindly sign up to anything.
Thanks for your
input
Lisa
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