The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has launched a last ditch bid to stop the Federal Government cutting the Medicare rebate for short GP visits.
AMA president Brian Owler has written to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, urging him to personally intervene and halt the regulation before it starts next Monday.
Doctors’ groups have been furiously campaigning against the Government’s pre-Christmas move to cut the rebate paid to doctors by $20 for consultations less than 10 minutes.
In a sternly worded letter, Associate Professor Owler warned Mr Abbott practices would not be able to absorb the cuts and costs would be passed on to patients.
“The level of anger and disbelief within the general practitioner community … is unprecedented,” the letter said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten confirmed Labor would join the Greens and several crossbench senators in moving to strike down the change in the Senate when it returns next month.
But Associate Professor Owler said he feared the disallowance motion could take weeks or months to come into effect.
“In the meantime, patients and doctors would be hit with higher charges and costs unless the Government bowed to common sense and undid the change before next Monday,” he said.
Both the Prime Minister and Health Minister Sussan Ley are on annual leave.
But Associate Professor Owler said he still expected Mr Abbott to deal with the concerns raised by the AMA.
“I’m on leave myself and I offered the opportunity that I’d come back from leave to meet with him if that was necessary,” Associate Professor Owler said.
“We saw the Prime Minister at the cricket and on radio trying to defend the policy yesterday … The only one that really has the power to stop the changes going ahead is the Prime Minister.”
Ms Ley’s office released a statement yesterday lashing Labor for opposing the rebate cut and defending the policy.
“The Abbott Government has put forward a clear plan … which ensures Medicare rebates will more accurately reflect the time a doctor spends with their patient and encourage longer GP consultations for better health outcomes,” the statement said.
“Without reform, Medicare will collapse under its own weight and jeopardise the world class, affordable health care Australians take for granted.”