News

Health fund 'Gap' brochures confusing and meaningless

AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, said today that reports of health fund brochures being labelled as 'confusing crap' were not surprising and support the AMA's view that the 'gap' campaign has been a costly failure.

Dr Phelps said that by not properly consulting the medical profession, the health fund industry and the Government had launched a campaign that was doomed to fail.

"This has been a costly exercise - much of it at taxpayer expense - that has not delivered for health fund consumers or patients," Dr Phelps said.

"The message is garbled - incomprehensible even - and patients are receiving no guarantees that their gaps will be covered.

"It is not only the brochures that are confusing, it is the Internet sites as well.

"The lists of specialists are incomplete for certain areas or procedures, some non-specialist practitioners are being listed as specialists, and some doctors who asked not to be listed have been listed.

"It's a mess.

"GPs, too, are up in arms because they are being expected to do the administrative work for the health funds instead of spending time with their patients."

Dr Phelps said the AMA had been a supporter of the health insurance rebate and Lifetime Health Cover initiatives, but the recent actions of the health funds had been clearly against the best interests of doctors and their patients.

"Since when have the health funds become the experts on quality health care?" Dr Phelps said.

"With the support of taxpayer money, they are out there encouraging people to choose medical procedures based on price, not quality of care or which doctor is best for their particular condition or procedure.

"If the funds can't be consistent with their own propaganda, what chance has the patient?

"I fear the gap cover umbrella has become a shelter for the health funds," Dr Phelps said.

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CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761

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