“Evidence free zone”: Government accused of not doing its homework on bulk-billing. Photo: Sasha Woolley
The federal government has been accused of operating in an ”evidence-free zone” by introducing a $7 fee for Medicare services in the absence of data about how many people are bulk-billed.
The Department of Human Services, which owns Medicare data, last week refused a freedom-of-information request from the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association for data on the number of people who are bulk-billed, on the grounds the information does not exist.
The refusal came after Health Department officials told a Senate estimates hearing last week it had not modelled the impact of the $7 charge on hospital emergency departments and follows National Commission of Audit chairman Tony Shepherd conflating visits to the doctor with Medicare items.
In a letter refusing the association’s information request, the Department of Human Services said while it could be possible for it to produce such data, this would require computer programming, which would constitute ”a substantial and unreasonable diversion of the department’s resources”.