Beach report further evidence that proposed co-payments hurt the most vulnerable
AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, said today that the highly-respected Byte from the Beach report from the University of Sydney provides further evidence that the Government’s proposed co-payment for GP, radiology, and pathology services, and increased co-payments for medicines, will hit vulnerable patients the hardest.
A/Prof Owler said the Byte from the BEACH report is the first to clearly quantify the likely impact of the Government's Budget measures for health.
“This is the sort of research that the Government should have conducted before the Budget,” A/Prof Owler said.
“The report shows the cost impact for patients who have the types of conditions that must be properly managed in the community to avoid more costly hospital treatment,” A/Prof Owler said.
“It highlights that older Australians, who generally need more medical care, will be hardest hit by the co-payments.
“The current proposal not only lacks protection for the vulnerable, such as the elderly and those with chronic disease, it actually affects them more than other people in the community.
“People will put off seeing their doctor and their conditions could worsen, placing greater pressure on already overstretched public hospitals.”
A/Prof Owler said that the AMA is encouraged that the Government is showing signs of having another look at some aspects of the current co-payment model.
“The Prime Minister and the Health Minister have acknowledged that there may be issues for residents of aged care facilities,” A/Prof Owler said.
“Following my recent meeting with the Prime Minister, the AMA is working on some alternatives that protect the most vulnerable.
“The AMA acknowledges that GP services are undervalued, and that a form of co-payment may be appropriate.
“We have accepted the Government’s invitation to provide alternative models that promote health policies such as chronic disease management and preventive health care, and which value general practice, radiology, and pathology services.
“It is important that people, especially the most vulnerable in the community, are not discouraged from seeing their doctor.
“It is equally important that we avoid health policies that either directly or indirectly put pressure on the capacity of our public hospitals,” A/Prof Owler said.
Background:
Australia has a high rate of hospital admissions compared to countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Japan Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). OECD Health Data 2013
Hynd A, Roughhead EE, Preen DB, Glover J, Bulsara M. Semmens J. The impact of co-payment increases on dispensing of government-subsidised medicines in Australia. Pharmcoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2008 Nov, 17(11):1091-9
Eaddy MT, Cook CL, O’Day K, Burch SP, Cantrell CR How patient cost-sharing trends affect adherence and outcomes. Pharmacy and Therapeutics Vol 37 No. 1 January 2012