Articles

5th Dec 2016

Joining the dots: how universal healthcare is being undermined

Source: Croakey independent, in-depth social journalism for health
By: Dr Tim Woodruff

The Medicare rebate freeze is here to stay. Despite the Federal Government announcing it had heard the electorate expressing their concerns about Medicare at the election the Prime Minister is ploughing on, claiming that savings must be made, that people should pay a copayment if they can, and anyway the bulk billing rate is going up so patients aren’t missing out.

Do savings need to be made?

Countries increase their spending on health care as they get richer. In the last decade Australia has increased spending on health care from 8.8% of GDP to 10%, a figure very slightly above the median for OECD countries (1).  Our budget deficit is lower than almost every OECD country.

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23rd Jul 2016

Elitism/Entitlement drives our leaders policies

Source: Eureka Online Magazine
By: Dr Tim Woodruff

A FAIR GO OR SHOULD WE TAX PEOPLE WHO ARE UNLUCKY ENOUGH TO BE SICK?

Do our leaders believe in a fair go? The Prime Minister has stated that he and Lucy have been lucky and observed that “there are taxi drivers that work harder than I ever have and they don’t have much money”. Read more

15th Jun 2015

Open letter on carbon pollution reduction

The Cimate Institute and 50 other diverse organisations

The Doctors Reform Society are proud to sign a new open letter to Australian parliamentarians asking for significant commitments to carbon pollution reduction. This has been written as we approach the important UN conference in Paris in December 2015. We are but one of 51 diverse Australian organisations signing this letter.

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15th May 2015

What the budget didn’t say

Croakey

Last year’s budget was an easy target for those concerned about our health system. Now the Government is smarter. Instead of attempting to drive a truck through the very concept of a universal access health system, it has attempted to avoid confrontation by much more stealthy policies.

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26th Apr 2015

Creating a two tiered health system changing tack maintaining direction

Source: Croakey
By: Dr Tim Woodruff

First published: Sunday, April 26, 2015 8:20PM

Are co-payments dead? Or is that the sound of Medicare’s last gasps?

The GP co-payment is dead. So said the Prime Minister as he made his third retraction on the issue six weeks ago.

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14th Feb 2015

Plan B Co-payments: A Sham

Source: ABC The Drum

First published: Saturday, February 14, 2015

Moving towards a two-tiered health system

Opinion: The Drum
By: Tim Woodruff

Posted Wed 14 Jan 2015, 2:51pm

The Federal Government’s stated concern about “6 minute medicine” is a sham. The real agenda is to reduce Medicare, which is why we should be glad that the Senate has indicated its opposition, writes Tim Woodruff.

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12th Dec 2014

This GP price signal will work – that’s frightening

Source: ABC The Drum

First published: Friday, December 12, 2014