AS LOCAL doctors predict how drastic Medicare cuts could signal the end of bulk-billing, New England MP and the Nationals deputy leader Barnaby Joyce has defended the government’s decision as a matter of fiscal urgency.
From Monday, the Medicare rebate will be slashed by more than half to $16.95 for all consultations less than 10 minutes.
The cut will see patients, including pensioners, forking out an extra $20 for a short trip to the doctor.
The government made the change in a bid to save $3.5 billion and deter “six-minute medicine”.
But local MP Barnaby Joyce said he had “less empathy” on the cuts to the rebate for short consultations than the proposed $5 GP co-payment, suggesting $16.95 would be a fair rebate for a short consultation.
“We should be encouraging people to have a proper consultation, not churning them through,” Mr Joyce said.
“I know many pensioners would be pretty disappointed if they saw their doctor for 10 minutes.”
Around 40 GPs from the Tamworth district met Monday night to share their woes and devise ways to deal with the short-notice change, which caught doctors and patients off-guard.
Currently 71 per cent of GP consultations in the region are bulk-billed, but North West Health GP Dr Ian Kamerman predicts this figure will dwindle to almost nothing.
“Bulk-billing will essentially stop next week,” Dr Kamerman said.
Mr Joyce said steps needed to be taken to “turn the financial position around”.
“We wouldn’t have to make any of these changes if we weren’t $350 thousand million in grave debt,” Mr Joyce said.
“I wish we didn’t have to do any of this, I truly do.
“If we don’t, we go broke. Then there will be no discussion about cuts to the Medicare rebate because we won’t have a Medicare rebate.”
He said he had taken concerns from local doctors over the $7 co-payment to Canberra, which had seen the proposal drop to a $5 fee from which concession card holders, pensioners and children under the age of 16 would be exempt.
Dr Kamerman said the cuts would not amend the budget deficit, as the government had signalled the money was destined for a medical research fund.
But Mr Joyce defended the position, saying medical advances could only be gained through investment in research.
“Any money that is put towards a fund sits as an asset on the balance sheet,” Mr Joyce said.
He stressed medical services come at a cost and someone must pay for them.
Pensioners ‘blind-sided’
LOCAL pensioners say sudden changes to Medicare might make vital doctor’s appointments unaffordable.
Robyn Currell said she was angry about the government’s sly move that would hit pensioners hard.
“We’ve all been blind-sided by this,” Mrs Currell said.
“I realised Medicare was going to be changed, but I didn’t realise it would be changed so drastically.”
Mrs Currell and her husband Keith are both on the pension and pay frequent visits to their local GP.
Mr Currell has suffered a stroke and requires regular doctor’s prescriptions.
Pensioners and other patients will be forced to pay an extra $20 for a GP visit lasting less than 10 minutes from Monday.
“It will be very expensive,” Mrs Currell said.
“We are all affected by this underhanded thing.
“Most pensioners have worked and paid our taxes – I think it’s wrong.
“We’re lucky at the moment because our doctor bulk bills, but it is terrible that this is slipping through and people don’t know.”
She will be contacting Mr Joyce to voice her concerns and urged other locals to do make their views known.
Source: theland.com.au