Australian Medical Association

The AMA submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee inquiry into the Health Insurance Amendment (Extended Medicare Safety Net) Bill 2009 highlighted:

• the Bill provides a framework for the Government to systematically withdraw its funding of the Extended Medicare Safety Net (EMSN);
• the shortcomings of the Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation Extended Medicare safety net review report 2009 upon which the Government’s decisions to cap certain services were based;
• the absence of Government consultation with the medical profession to determine the real impact on patients.

The AMA called for the Bill to be amended to include the following requirements:

• that the Minister be required to consult with the relevant medical groups about their fee structures and any proposal to introduce and/or change a EMSN cap before making future determinations to impose EMSN caps on particular medical services;
• that the Government be required to commission an independent evaluation of the impact of this measure and the associated determination containing the 2009-10 Budget caps by 1 January 2012, and for the evaluation to be tabled in Parliament as soon as it is completed.

AMA Federal Budget Submission 2009-10

The AMA's 2009-10 Federal Budget Submission claims there is no better investment for nation building than in health.

The AMA's 2009-10 Federal Budget Submission claims there is no better investment for nation building than in health.