“The Prime Minister’s announcement of a significant increase in funded training places for GPs and specialists is a welcome recognition by the Federal Government that workforce shortages must be addressed for our health system to be reformed,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“The future of our health system depends upon strengthening primary healthcare,” said Dr Woodruff. “GPs are crucial to improving that care, and medical practices in areas of need are desperate for GP trainees but haven’t been able to find them. This initiative could be a real boost for such practices, if the funding model is correct.”

“Thus it is important to fund these training places by salary, rather than fee for service,” cautioned Dr Woodruff. “That is how specialist trainees in hospital are paid and that means they have the opportunity to learn rather than just provide a service. It is a funding mechanism proposed previously for GP trainees by a former Liberal Health Minister, Michael Wooldridge. Salary rather than fee for service removes perverse incentives to practice turnstile medicine. It promotes interaction with and learning from medical and non medical colleagues, which is exactly what is required to build a team based integrated approach to primary health care.”

“With plans for hospitals and medical workforce announced we await further details of reform, especially how to control the increasing privatisation of our health system and the inequity and inefficiency which inevitably accompanies it.”

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

]]

“The Prime Minister’s proposed shake up of public hospital funding has the capacity to reduce waiting lists to see specialists, to have surgery, and to get seen in Emergency department when needed,” said Dr Woodruff, president, Doctors Reform Society.

“It appears however, that Primary Care, ie care in the community from GPs, nurses, psychologists, and other allied health professionals, is a very low priority with minimal changes suggested, said Dr Woodruff. ” Whilst the idea of funding nationally and organising the provision of services locally is the basis for the reformed hospital funding model, such a model has not been suggested for Primary Care, despite the obvious appalling inequities in access to such care, and the inefficiencies and lack of co-ordination in Primary Care. Canberra based programs and policy will not address these issues. Neither Superclinics nor some extra money to Divisions to carry out some preventive care will address this problem.”

“The issue of workforce to carry out the increased workload has not been addressed,” said Dr Woodruff. “Indeed, there has been a consistent refusal to accept that taxpayer support for private hospitals attracts specialists away from the already under-staffed public hospitals.”

“National standards and performance measures are essential to determine what is working”, said Dr Woodruff. “But if such measures are to be required of publicly funded public hospitals, why will they not also be required of publicly funded private hospitals. It is imperative however, that performance measures are adequately adjusted for the many risk factors which influence health outcomes.”

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

]]

“The 6% rise in Private Health Insurance (PHI) premiums announced yesterday is a further $200 million per year hit on taxpayers, especially those 56% of Australians who will never receive any benefits because they can’t afford PHI,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“This is on top of the current $3.8 billion per year gifted to the PHI industry through the rebate,” said Dr Woodruff. “Even Treasury has told Cabinet last year that this is an inefficient use of funds but the Government persists in pursuing this unfair, discriminatory, and inefficient spending of taxpayers’ dollars”

“Means testing the rebate will only make this slightly less unfair and is no threat to PHI uptake,” said Dr Woodruff. “The biggest threat to PHI uptake would be for the Federal Government to properly fund the public hospitals so that people aren’t forced through fear to take out PHI they don’t really want.”

“It is disappointing that neither of the major political parties is putting the interests of the most needy patients ahead of vested financial and political interests,” said Dr Woodruff. “It’s time to use taxes for the public system which everyone can access and to stop kicking the majority of Australians in the guts by spending even more of their taxes to fund inequitable and inefficient policies.”

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

]]

“The health of patients with cataracts is being forgotten by all major parties in the debate about Medicare rebates for cataract surgery,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“The Federal Government’s main interest appears to be to save money even though it knows that some eye surgeons will not reduce their fees, thus leaving patients to pay more or simply not have the vision saving operation,” said Dr Woodruff

“The eye surgeons are clearly putting interest in defending their own income in front of providing affordable access to patients for an operation they know can transform their patients’ lives. And now the Federal Opposition is playing politics with the issue in a way which may lead to patients getting no Medicare rebate at all.”

“But all three players continue to ignore the basic problem which leads to this unhealthy debacle,” said Dr Woodruff. “The weakened public hospital system upon which the majority of Australians depend for their cataract surgery, cannot possibly compete with a private industry which is so heavily taxpayer funded but which is only accessible to those who can afford it. Many elderly are desperate enough to have private health cover because they don’t want to be queuing at the public hospitals to get their lives back by having their vision restored.”

“It is this taxpayer funding of the private system which sets the scene for private specialists to charge almost what they like, knowing that there are enough patients who are desperate enough to pay extra to avoid public hospital queues.”

“Rather than ignoring patients and attempting to control a fundamentally flawed private industry, the Federal Government must adequately fund the public system so that it can compete for patients and doctors against the taxpayer funded private industry. It also needs to address the ‘closed shop’ training of specialists to ensure there are sufficient specialists for our patients.

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

]]

“It’s time the Federal Government recognised that the well intentioned funding of access to psychologists for those with mental health conditions is missing the most needy because it is a flawed program,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, president, Doctors Reform Society.

 “Average costs of copayments of $35 ensure that the inverse care law applies ie that the most needy get the least care and the least needy get the most care,” said Dr Woodruff. “Private fee for service funding ensures that patients who live in areas of workforce shortage continue to miss out because there are not enough GPs or psychologists to provide the service.”

 “The budget blowout to twice what was expected is an indication of the need for the services but the money is being spent inefficiently and inequitably”, said Dr Woodruff. “It’s time the Federal Government recognised that it is a flawed funding model. They should incorporate funding for psychologists into a needs based regional funding model which aims to get the money spent on those with the greatest need, not the most healthy credit card.”

Dr Tim Woodruff    Dr Con Costa   

President   Vice President      

Doctors Reform Society                           

]]

“Despite long term federal Government underfunding of public hospitals, the Private Health Insurance industry is asking for another huge taxpayer subsidy when it asks for a $200 per year increase in premiums,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“Almost one third of the $200, or around $60 is funded by the taxpayer”, said Dr Woodruff. “Also twenty four dollars will go into administration costs to support the grossly inefficient industry, and the rest is available to subsidise those Australians who are lucky enough to be able to afford private health insurance – mainly the middle class and the wealthy… The 56% of Australians who can’t afford private insurance will stay wholly dependent on an underfunded and struggling public hospital system – which the incoming federal Government claimed it was going to fix – while all Australians will remain almost wholly dependant on the struggling public system for serious illness and non elective surgery type care.”

“The Productivity Commission has concluded it can’t come to a conclusion on whether private or public hospitals are better because the Government has not forced hospitals to collect and release the data needed but the evidence from North America is that private for profit hospitals have higher death rates than public hospitals.”

“So in Australia we have a Federal Government using taxes to fund richer Australians to queue jump the public hospital waiting lists and enter private hospitals which may be more dangerous than the public ones they’ve avoided.”

“It’s time the Government was honest with the Australian people,” said Dr Woodruff. “It should immediately begin the gradual removal of the dangerous, inefficient and inequitable taxpayer support for the private health insurance industry. Its time to stop the PHI rebate charade and get back to putting our taxes into our hospitals and health care – not into the pockets of private business and individuals.”

Dr Tim Woodruff
President
Doctors Reform Society

Dr Con Costa
Vice President
Doctors Reform Society

]]

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

]]

Ex AMA President and federal by election candidate for Griffith out of step with GPs, his own organisation (AMA) and with Australia’s patients say DRS

Ex AMA president and federal by election candidate Bill Glasson’s support for copayment is not unexpected said Dr Con Costa, National president of the DRS.  The AMA was one of the most ferocious opponent of the introduction of bulk billing when Medicare was first introduced as Medibank. However, unlike the AMA which has moved on, Dr Glasson seems to be continuing the war on Medicare, bulk billing and Australia’s patients.

Contrary to Dr Glasson’s press statement – GP visits are not “free”.  They are paid for by all Australians through their taxes and the Medicare levy.  They are low cost because of the economic downward pressure on doctors fees caused by bulk billing – and this is what some doctors, especially specialist doctors cannot tolerate, said Dr Costa.  No charge at point of seeing the GP is an integral part of Medicare – and high levels of bulk billing keep costs down.

When Medibank, later Medicare, was introduced it led to doctors moving away from just the affluent areas of our cities.  For the first time women who are the principal care givers, and their families had access to doctors – as well as preventive screening which, before bulk billing, was the prerogative only of richer women. Now Dr Glasson wants to take us back to the bad old days before Medicare, said Dr Tracy Schrader, Brisbane GP and national vice President of the DRS.

Dr Glasson wants to go back to the pre Medicare system where doctors are concentrated in the more affluent suburbs of our cities – and can charge their private patients while the rest of us line up at the casualty or ED, or attend the doctor as a charity case, said Dr Schrader. 

Introducing copayments or up front fees for the GP will dissuade many women from attending the doctor early in their families illness of for preventive screening.  It will result in much greater costs for the health system overall and most of the costs shifted from “open ended” federal funding to “closed” or limited state funding.  Thus more people will be lining up for less care.

The big losers will be the patients in outer suburban and rural areas – those same people that benefitted from Medicare when it was introduced – as well as our public hospitals which will become clogged up with GP type patients.

If Dr Glasson believes that a copayment is affordable to most Australians then we ask whether he is opposed to the suggestion of the copayment being extended to Public Hospital ED departments to “stop the rush of Medicare patients to the state hospital ‘free’ ED”.

Dr Glasson, an ophthalmologist, should be well aware of the high and often unaffordable cost for Australians to see a specialist. He is out of step with Australia’s GPs many of whom are concerned:

1. many of their more needy patients wont be able to see them for chronic and complex illness

2. the bureaucratic nightmare of policing complex new rules and collecting payments

3. will probably stop bulk billing if copayments introduced. 

4. and with his own organisation (the AMA) which has expressed concerns about the negative impact of a copayment – and also its negative effect of the state public hospital system.

Brisbane based GP DRS national vice President Tracy Schrader called on Mr Glasson to debate the Copayment issue.  He is running for federal office and people have a right to know exactly where he stands on important issues such as equitable access to health  care, driving our high out of pocket costs even higher, and driving up the overall costs of the health system by white anting Medicare, said Dr Schrader.

Sydney Brisbane  Melbourne

Dr con costa  Dr Tracy Schrader  Dr Tim Woodruff

National President  Vice President  0401042619

0418400309 Ph 0408 892 610 

(02) 97978710

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