AMA welcomes ALP's major step forward on Medicare rebates
The AMA welcomes the proposal for increased Medicare rebates for disadvantaged patients announced by Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing Mr Stephen Smith.
AMA Vice-President Dr Trevor Mudge today said, "We must ensure that low-income Australian families and older people have affordable access to general practitioners."
The AMA says Medicare rebates must be restored to their former value. A decade of failure to adequately index them has caused a 50 per cent drop in their real value.
Dr Mudge said, "The ALP proposal's focus on rebates for patients rather than the Government's approach of providing subsidies for doctors is a major step forward. Many of the GP subsidy schemes are heavily overlaid with red tape and do not necessarily target the key problem areas.
"Nevertheless, we will need to talk to the ALP about some possible problems with the proposal as announced."
By increasing the rebates regionally, the Labor scheme will miss some disadvantaged people. Groups with the greatest need for health care - the aged and chronically ill - are very heavily represented among the disadvantaged and these people live in virtually all urban, regional and rural areas.
Higher differential patient rebates need to be focussed directly on the lower-income and more disadvantaged groups within Australian society to ensure they can obtain medical care. A regional approach will only partially achieve this outcome.
The AMA also wants to ensure doctors maintain their freedom to set appropriate fees for their patients.
The AMA will be seeking talks with Mr Smith, as soon as possible, to work through some of these issues.
CONTACT: Dr Trevor Mudge (0413) 733 701