Out-of-pocket costs for X-rays, mammograms, PET scans and other diagnostic services could soar under the Abbott Government’s proposed budget measures according to Throsby MP Stephen Jones.
Mr Jones, Labor’s Assistant Spokesperson for Health, said under the measures before the senate patients could be forced to pay $90 upfront for every X-ray, $380 for a CAT scan, $160 for a mammogram and $190 for an ultrasound.
A cancer-detecting PET scan could have an upfront cost as high as $1000.
Even after receiving their Medicare rebate, Mr Jones said figures from the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association revealed that patients could be left with out-of-pocket expenses of up to $160 for every scan.
He said the higher costs would be the result of a combination of Federal Budget measures, including the proposed $7 GP tax and a $5 reduction in the Medicare rebate.
‘‘As well as the $7 GP tax, the Abbott government is also proposing a $5 reduction – or 10 per cent of the schedule fee – in the Medicare rebate which will apply to all GP, diagnostic imaging and pathology services,’’ Mr Jones said.
‘‘This will have the greatest impact on out-of-pocket imaging costs for patients because a patient who pays upfront will receive a lower rebate from Medicare when they make a claim.’’
Mr Jones said the measures – due to come into effect on July 1, 2015 – would hit those with the most serious conditions the hardest.
‘‘For some people a scan might be a one-off but for patients who might need a number of diagnostic services at one time or regular scans – such as cancer patients – then those costs accumulate,’’ he said.
Mr Jones said the loss of revenue from Medicare would force medical practices to charge more for services. He met with the directors and staff of Wollongong Diagnostics at their Warrawong practice late last week to discuss their concerns.
‘‘This is a small practice that is 100 per cent bulk billed as the vast majority of their patients are of low-socio economic status,’’ he said.
‘‘There are deep concerns that these patients won’t come in with the referral from their doctors, or delay the visit, because they can’t afford higher fees.
‘‘This will lead to delays in diagnosis which means serious conditions will go undetected for longer, and some people will die as a result.’’
Wollongong Diagnostics operations manager Ola Moukhallalati said practices had already been absorbing costs for years and could not afford to continue to do so.
‘‘As technologies have improved, we have needed additional resources and more experienced technicians to study the scans but there has been no change in Medicare values,’’ she said.
‘‘For example when Medicare applied a value to a CT chest scan 16 years ago, we were taking 20 to 30 ‘slices’ through the body to read – now we are taking 500 slices on average which takes much more time to read.’’
Ms Moukhallalati said if the GP tax was introduced, practices would also need to spend more time on administrative tasks.
Mr Jones said it was now the ‘‘danger period’’ with the Federal Government pushing to get budgetry measures through the senate before Christmas.
Source: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2683829/upfront-fees-for-scans-will-soar-warns-mp/?cs=300