oh dear.......
And the bad news for the budget keeps on coming: now the Australian Medical Association - which is made up of well-heeled doctory types, absolute heartland Coalition voters - are demanding that the proposed $7 co-pay for patients to see GPs be scrapped.
AMA president Brian Owler published a scathing opinion piece this morning declaring that the fee is pure ideology and will harm Australians.
Keep in mind, by the way, that part of the proposed fee is meant to go into the pockets of doctors, so it's ostensibly to the benefit of their practices to have this upfront fee. However, as Owler puts it: "While the AMA strongly represents the interests of doctors, we will always put the interests of our patients first. This is our professional obligation. It is why we oppose the budget measures. They will hurt our patients, especially the sickest and most vulnerable."
After explaining some of the ways that cuts to Medicare will negatively affect diagnostic services (radiographers, pathologists and so on, who'll lose their rebates but won't get a cut of the co-payment since they don't often see patients per se), Owler gets to the meat of the argument:
Anyone working in health understands the basic premise that prevention is not only better than the cure, but it also makes economic sense. Diagnosing and managing chronic disease properly in general practice keeps patients out of more expensive hospital care. People with chronic diseases are very much affected by the co-payment. This proposal poses a financial barrier for vaccinations and other preventative healthcare measures and chronic disease management.
The recent COAG Reform Council report showed that, among the more disadvantaged in society, 12 per cent of people defer or do not see their GP due to cost. It will significantly increase with a co-payment.
And then he drops some fact bombs:
For months, Australians were pre-medicated for the budget on the narrative that Australia has a budget emergency, with the finger of blame pointed at an out-of-control health budget.
The health budget is not out of control. As a proportion of GDP, Australia’s healthcare spending has remained constant. In 2011 it was 8.93 per cent compared to the OECD average of 9.3 per cent. The proportion of this contributed by the federal government expenditure remains constant at around 41 per cent.
As a proportion of federal government expenditure, health expenditure has actually fallen - from 18.1 per cent in 2006-07 to 16.1 per cent in 2012-13.
The co-payment is unfair and unnecessary. Ideology has pushed this proposal too far. It is poor health policy. The Prime Minister should step in and scrap this policy. If not, it deserves to fail in the Senate.
BOOM. When the AMA - one of the most conservative organisations in Australia - is telling you your policy is ideological bullbleep, you really need to have a rethink.
http://www.thevine.com.au/life/news/10-things-so-who-fancies-a-double-dissolution-20140619-282761/?u...
