Fed: Health-care card holders may no longer be bulk-billed: AMA
By Sandra O'Malley
CANBERRA, Aug 15 AAP - More doctors may start directly charging health-care card holdersif the Medicare rebate failed to meet their costs, the Australian Medical Association(AMA) warned today.
AMA president Kerryn Phelps said doctors had lost their trust in Medicare and wereno longer prepared to tie themselves into bulk-billing arrangements, which did not coverthe cost of providing services.
Doctors traditionally bulk-bill holders of health-care and other concession cards.
When a doctor bulk-bills they accept from the Health Insurance Commission the MedicareBenefits Schedule (MBS) rebate of $24.45 for their services.
The patient does not have to pay any money out of their pocket.
Today, Dr Phelps warned that once doctors abandoned bulk-billing they were unlikely to go back.
"I don't think that it's a bad thing that patients who can afford it are paying somethingtowards their health care, but I do have concerns about patients who are disadvantaged,"
she told journalists.
Dr Phelps said traditionally doctors had automatically bulk-billed patients with concessioncards but they could no longer afford to subsidise Medicare.
The AMA also had issue with the number of health-care cards in circulation - it believesabout eight million Australians have access to a card.
"How can doctors have faith in a system that claims that eight million people are disadvantagedto the point that doctors need to discount their fees," Dr Phelps said.
"Unfortunately we've reached a point where the health-care cards are so widespreadthat doctors are looking at these and saying 'is this person really disadvantaged?'."
The AMA wants a comprehensive review of general practice remuneration and patient rebates,as well as an examination of the health-care card system.
After an hour-long meeting with federal Health Minister Kay Patterson today, Dr Phelpssaid the minister had agreed to look at the issues of remuneration and workforce, suchas the shortage of GPs in some areas.
A spokesman for Senator Patterson could not provide further details about the meeting.
Senator Patterson has indicated she is willing to meet state and territory health ministers,who are also calling for the government to act to stem the decline in bulk-billing.
State and territory health ministers say the public hospital system is being swampedas fewer doctors bulk-bill their patients, while a shortage of GPs has also contributedto the problem.
Opposition health spokesman Stephen Smith said the government needed to offer financialincentives to encourage bulk-billing.
AAP so/sw/tnf/sb
KEYWORD: BULK
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