Government To Consult On Medicare Reform

Following changes to Medicare last week, the Government has responded to concerns about the new measure to improve patient care and deal with the problem of 'six minute medicine'.
Changes to Level A and B GP consultation items will be taken off the table and will not commence on Monday 19 January.
Health Minister Sussan Ley has announced that she will be understanding wide-ranging consultation on the ground with doctors and community nationwide in order to deliver appropriate Medicare reforms. In a press release Ms Ley said consultations will be guided by the following principles:

• Protecting Medicare for the long term


• Ensuring bulk billing remains for vulnerable and concessional patients


• Maintaining high quality care and treatment for all Australians


• Inserting a price signal of a modest co-payment into the health system for those who have the capacity to pay

Ms Ley has spoken to key medical groups to inform them of the Government’s decision and her commitment to continuing to consult with them and their members.
As the Australian Medical Association and the Labor Party have acknowledged, it is important to shift away from ‘six minute medicine’ so that appropriate, comprehensive care is better rewarded over patient throughput.
Under the old attendance Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) item structure, financial incentives favour shorter consultations, driving some doctors to provide “six-minute medicine” rather than more comprehensive care. For example, the MBS rebate is currently the same for a six minute GP consultation as for a 19 minute consultation.
Medicare expenditure should more accurately reflect the time a GP spends with a patient.
In the last decade, spending on Medicare has more than doubled from $8 billion in 2004 to $20 billion today, yet only $10 billion was raised from the Medicare levy. Spending is projected to climb to $34 billion in the next decade to 2024.
Medicare will not survive in the long term without changes to make it sustainable.
The Government is committed to making Medicare sustainable for the long term, improving the quality of care for patients and continuing repair of the Budget.