Media Releases

The report of the health impact statement on the effects of the Transpacific Partnership currently being negotiated by the Federal Government with the US indicates there is a very high chance that this Government will manage to introduce higher co-payments for prescription drugs by stealth said Dr Tim Woodruff , vice president, Doctors Reform Society.

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DOCTORS REFORM SOCIETY

Australia Lags in Ebola Response Could Cost Us Dearly in Longterm

The Doctors Reform Society joined the calls from the AMA and the NSW Nurses Association for Australia to increase its role in the Global response to the increasing Ebola epidemic.  The aid agency Oxfam today warned Ebola could become the “definitive humanitarian disaster of our generation” if more is not done to halt the spread of the virus.

Oxfam, which works in the two worst-hit countries – Liberia and Sierra Leone – on Saturday called for more troops, funding and medical staff to be sent to tackle the west African epicentre of the epidemic and chief executive Mark Goldring warned that the world was “in the eye of a storm”

“The Doctors Reform Society National Conference held in Sydney on Saturday 17 October, noted the federal governments concern about sending doctors and nurses to help fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the relatively small contribution to the international effort of $18 million. Some of these concerns are valid said Dr Costa, National president of the Doctors Reform Society’ but we are worried about a lack of transparency and relative inertia compared to the Abbott government’s aggressive position on international affairs to date.  Especially a lack of information on Australia’s preparedness and our part in the global response – including whether past cutbacks to the public health system and customs and immigration has increased Australia’s vulnerability to any future international spread of the disease.

Given that the Ebola outbreak is rapidly reaching a new stage, and the importance of containment ie at the current rate of spread we could be looking at over 1 million infected and a fatality rate of over 70% by January 2015 ie an exponential growth in new cases predicted if no well organised and well funded early response as is being called for by the UN/ WHO, President Obama of the USA and PM Cameron of Great Britain:

The Doctors Reform National Conference resolved to put to the Health minister, Mr Dutton and The PM Mr Abbott the following questions: 

1.  What measures are being looked at by the Australian Government to support Australian doctors and nurses going to West Africa – either as part of an Australian health team or embedded in international teams – given that early containment of the disease is the only realistic, practical, humane and affordable strategy in fighting Ebola?  Are less risky, but equally important support  alternatives, being also considered as part of our global response – including sending public health workers, engineers and military teams to assist with infrastructure in West Africa?

 2.  Will the government make public the discussions it is having with the WHO and the CDC and what is being discussed in regards to Australia’s contribution to the fight against Ebola?
 

3.  What steps are being taken by the federal government to boost Australia’s public health system to increase Australia’s preparedness should the disease enter a new phase ie spreading internationally?

 

Dr Con Costa    Dr Tim Woodruff  

President   Vice President      

Doctors Reform Society      Ph 0401042619

Ph 0418400309

 

 

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Melbourne Rally To Discuss Abbott’s Real Agenda

Divide Australia

31^st August 2014

At 1pm Sunday 31 August I will be addressing a rally at the State Library in Melbourne to discuss the real agenda of the Abbott Government’s budget proposals and other policies in health care.

The intention is clear. Bulk billing should be stopped. The sick should have to pay out of pocket (as well as paying taxes for the health system to exist). Private health insurance should be allowed to two tier access to GPs by being permitted to cover copayments for their members (whilst those who can’t afford PHI have to pay. Medicare should be just a safety net (rather than a public health insurance system  which gives most people the chance to access timely quality health care)

This agenda is about dividing Mr Abbott’s team A into Team R for the rich, Team P for the poor, and Team S for the middle class who may be ok if they don’t get a chronic disease or an acute severe illness, but may face mortgages and bankruptcy if they are unlucky. This is about moving towards a US style health system just as the US is trying to move away from it.

http://www.marchaustralia.com/locations/

Dr Tim Woodruff  

Vice President      

Doctors Reform Society    

Ph 0401042619

https://twitter.com/drsreform

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorsReformSociety

http://drs.org.au

]]

Source: doctors reform society

First published: Tuesday, July 29, 2014

EXHORBITANT COPAYMENTS RIFE BUT AMA WANTS DOCTORS TO DECIDE WHO PAYS HOW MUCH

“Reports today that even the Royal Australian College of Surgeons has raised concerns about how much some of its members charge highlight the basic problem with the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) approach to copayments as they the AMA, negotiate with Government to modify the budget copayment proposals”, said Dr Tim Woodruff, vice president of the Doctors Reform Society.

The AMA insists that copayments are fine but wants its members to be able to decide who pays how much. Its objection to the Government’s proposal is as much about doctors’ power as it is about caring for patients struggling financially. It wants copayments to be a part of the system and has always recommended a much bigger copayment for doctors’ visits than the Government recommended scheduled fee.

But it ignores the fact that many of the surgeons who the RACS say are charging ‘exploitive and unethical’ fees are likely to be members of the AMA. It nevertheless insists that doctors should be trusted to decide such fees. This inevitably results in copayments which stop patients accessing necessary and life saving care.

The evidence is there for all to see. Copayments reduce access (the treasurer wants reduced access). Access saves lives. When doctors decide who pays how much, some will charge patients who then can’t afford access. Lives are being lost. And doctors and Government must bear the responsibility.

 

Dr Tim Woodruff  

Vice President         

Doctors Reform Society    

  Ph 0401042619

https://twitter.com/drsreform

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorsReformSociety

http://drs.org.au

EXHORBITANT COPAYMENTS RIFE BUT AMA WANTS DOCTORS TO DECIDE WHO PAYS HOW MUCH

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AMA ROLLS OVER ON COPYAMENTS: DOCTORS FIRST, PATIENTS SECOND

The statement this morning on ABC News by the AMA that “We don’t have a problem with copayments as long as they’re fair & equitable” exposes the true colours of this doctors’ union, said Dr Tim Woodruff, Doctors Reform Society. Fair and equitable copayments don’t exist and the AMA knows that some of its members insist on copayments, even from the most vulnerable. The system gives doctors the choice to play god and decide who deserves to be bulk billed and how much people should be punished for being sick. But still the AMA supports such a sick system, said Dr Woodruff.

Whilst the concern of the AMA for the most vulnerable is laudable, said Dr Woodruff, their willingness to accept copayments with safety nets ignores the fact that the working poor still get slugged even with safety nets to cover pensioners and card holders.  This attitude indicates that as the doctors’ union, their first priority is the financial independence of their members. The health of patients is a secondary concern.

Having expressed deep concerns about the impact of these changes the AMA are now ready to negotiate with a Government which is determined to introduce killer copayments for GPs, blood tests, and xrays and to murder Medicare as we know it and transform it into Medicare-LESS.

Dr Tim Woodruff  

Vice President      

Doctors Reform Society    

Ph 0401042619

https://twitter.com/drsreform

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorsReformSociety

http://drs.org.au

]]

GREAT NEWS: PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SPENDING UP!

The report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare that the Federal Government is spending more on primary care is very encouraging, said Dr Con Costa, president of the Doctors Reform Society.

Primary health care is central to better health, said Dr Costa, and rather than being concerned about the increase, we should be celebrating that new ways have been found to boost primary health care.

If there is a problem however, it is how it is spent. We need to encourage doctors to spend more time with patients, providing them with more integrated allied health services such as nurses, physiotherapists etc. We need to spend money promoting a team based approach to health care rather than leaving patients to negotiate their own way through multiple different health care providers.

This spending is sustainable if we look at spending more wisely. It will save money in the long term. The alternative being considered by the Federal Government is to make those who can afford it to pay more for visits. This could be Mr Abbott’s big new tax, the tax on illness.

Instead, to get those who can afford it to pay more for health, he could simply increase general taxes for the rich. That way, those unlucky enough to be sick are not punished for their luck. The burden is shared just like with any insurance.

 

Dr Con Costa    Dr Tim Woodruff  

President   Vice President      

Doctors Reform Society      Ph 0401042619

Ph 0418400309

https://twitter.com/drsreform

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorsReformSociety

http://drs.org.au

]]

DUTTON FAILS TO REJECT THE DISMANTLING OF MEDICARE

The Doctors Reform Society  is shocked to hear that the Health Minister Mr Dutton sees no problem with the trialling of private health insurance (PHI) covering  copayments for GPs, said Dr Con Costa, President, Doctors Reform Society. Copayments will increase, the rich will pay via their insurance, taxpayers will pay more through the PHI rebate, and those 55% of Australians who can’t afford PHI will miss out.

This proposal is about introducing queue jumping into GPs waiting rooms, said Dr Costa. We already have such unfair treatment for hospital care as patients wait years for elective surgery. Now it will be ‘Do you have private insurance so we can see you immediately?’, in GP waiting rooms.

This will two tier our GP services  as well as our hospital care, said Dr Tim Woodruff.  It is a clear sign that Mr Dutton approves of the destruction of Medicare as a system of universal access to affordable care for all Australians.

It is also clear that controlling health costs is not a concern as this Americanisation of our health system is a sure way to send health costs through the roof whilst providing less health care

Adding private health insurance to GP services is just another nail in the coffin of Medicare

Please explain Mr Dutton

Dr Con Costa    Dr Tim Woodruff  

President   Vice President      

Doctors Reform Society      Ph 0401042619

Ph 0418400309

https://twitter.com/drsreform

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorsReformSociety

http://drs.org.au

]]

Local Brisbane GP and Vice President of the Doctors Reform Society, Dr Tracy Schrader, has called on Dr Bill Glasson, LNP candidate for the seat of Griffith, to a debate on his support for mandatory copayments on GP visits.

“This will be the end of Medicare” said Dr Schrader.

“The government and Dr Glasson believing a $6 copayment is affordable are living in a different world. These costs add up and most of my patients have difficulties already affording medication and other care. This will be another deterrent in seeking care.” concluded Dr Schrader. “This won’t just stop at $6 either. These fees escalate.”

“Price signals do not work in health care. This is not cups of coffee or luxury items you’re dealing with here. This is people’s lives and health. People don’t need to be hit with a financial hammer when seeking care. Preventative care, screening and chronic illness management will all be impacted,” Dr Schrader said “and down the line more illness that could have been dealt with more efficiently in the primary care setting.”

“Who determines what’s ‘affordable’ or who’s the ‘most vulnerable’? Most of us are all vulnerable in different ways at some time. Isn’t the taxation office the best place to determine who should pay what and not the doctor’s surgery where we sometimes do feel vulnerable? Free at the point of service is a fundamental principle of universal health care and Medicare. This will only create bureaucratic chaos and won’t save money. It will be more costs for the sick and less well-off and less tax for the wealthy.” said Dr Schrader. “Yes, Dr Glasson, if you can afford to pay you should pay – through your taxes.”

“Doctors’ fees always blow out after the introduction of copayments. Bulk billing has been a cost constraint on doctors’ fees. Compare the cost to see a GP ($36/$72) with the fees private specialists charge often around $300 plus. Dr Glasson as a private ophthalmologist should be well aware of this. It is the thin edge of the wedge. The death of Medicare Dr Glasson claims to support.” said Dr Schrader.

“Is Dr Glasson also supportive of the proposal of extending the copayment to public hospital emergency departments to “stop the rush of Medicare patients to the state hospital ‘free’ ED”?” asked Dr Schrader.  “Introducing a copayment in emergency departments would create an administrative nightmare. The practicalities are almost unthinkable. Who collects and when? Would you be sent a bill if unable to pay at the time? Would debt collectors be sent after people unable to pay? Remember back in the early seventies before Medibank/Medicare, failure to pay medical bills was the main reason for imprisonment for debt in South Australia. And then there’s interference with administrating care. The so-called frontline services the government proclaims to want to protect.”

“Dr Glasson is the endorsed LNP candidate for the Griffith by-election. He and the government have to come out and tell the Australian people exactly where they stand on this. Medicare is an issue at the heart of the Australian people. Why wasn’t such an important policy issue raised prior to the last federal election? Is it bad policy on the run or is there more to it?” said Dr Schrader. “I call on Dr Glasson to a public debate on this issue so the people of Griffith have the opportunity to make an informed decision prior to the by-election.”

(Dr Tracy Schrader lives in the seat of Griffith)

Dr Tracy Schrader 

Dr Con Costa 

Dr Tim Woodruff

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