Medical Patient Rebates Must Rise, Says Australian Medical Association

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 20 Oct 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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AMA President, Dr Rosanna Capolingua, today called on the Federal Government to increase Medicare rebates for patients to reflect the real costs involved in delivering quality health care.

"Medicare patient rebates have not kept pace with inflation," Dr Capolingua said.

"In fact, they have gone up by an average of just 2.1 per cent in recent years, and that figure is lower if you take into account the Government's fee freezing in pathology and elsewhere.

"This is unfair to patients, who are also struggling with the rising cost of living."

The AMA has revised its list of fees and will recommend an average increase of 3.9 per cent, compared with increases in CPI of 4.5 per cent and the wage price index of 4.2 per cent.

"Government will no doubt attack doctors for the modest rise but in reality the government is short-changing patients," Dr Capolingua said.

"Bulk billing rates are at record highs, doctors' fees have not even kept pace with average weekly earnings, while the Government's failure to adequately fund patient care has seen the costs to householders triple in the past 10 years.

"Government is pushing its share of health costs on to patients and the blame on to doctors.

"Doctors and our patients insist that the government shoulder its share of these costs."

Australian Medical Association

http://www.ama.com.au

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