The former Howard Government advisor who put a GP co-payment on the political agenda has called for the Abbott government to scrap its plan to introduce an “optional” $5 fee to visit the doctor.
Policy consultant Terry Barnes, whose 2013 submission to the Commission of Audit kickstarted debate about Medicare fees, said controversy about the government’s proposed $5 co-payment was getting in the way of more substantial reform of the health system.
“My view is that the pointless fighting between the medical profession and the Government over the current co-payment and rebate cut proposals are swamping progress towards the comprehensive structural reform of Medicare,” Mr Barnes said.
“If these need to be set aside to make progress on broader fronts, maybe the time has come to consider doing so.”
In December, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced plans to cut the Medicare rebate for GP visits for non-concessional patients by $5, and give doctors the option to recover this lost income through a fee of up to $5. He also announced an extension of a freeze of Medicare rebates through to 2018. A third measure, a $20 cut to rebates for short consultations, was jettisoned last month.
Mr Barnes said he remained committed to the principle of a “fair and modest price signal,” but said dropping the $5 rebate cut would “send a positive message to doctors.”
“Freezing rebates for four years is sufficient,” he said.
Mr Barnes’ call followed Mr Abbott promising a meeting of Liberal MPs on Monday that he would not bring forward any new proposals for changes to Medicare which did not have the broad backing of the medical profession.
“As you know, I was a health minister for four years,” Mr Abbott told reporters after the meeting. “I rapidly came to the conclusion as health minister that in any dispute between a politician and a doctor, the doctor normally won. While the health minister can’t be a minister for doctors, nevertheless, it is important to maintain the support of the medical profession because, let’s face it, they have the best interests of their patients at heart.”
While Mr Abbott stressed his comments referred to new proposals, some MPs expect the $5 rebate cut and co-payment will be dropped.
Australian Medical Association president Brian Owler called on Mr Abbott to withdraw the existing proposals.
“The Prime Minister must ditch the disastrous Medicare co-payment model, the $5 cut to the Medicare patient rebate, and the freeze on Medicare rebate indexation until 2018,” he said.
Liberal backbencher Andrew Laming, a former GP, said he would like to see the $5 co-payment proposal dropped.
But he said he believed with “astute consultative work by the Minister,” an alternative co-payment proposal could pass the Senate.
“It not an impossible task. It will need to be different to last time. It probably needs to be a more sophisticated proposal with more in it for doctors than there was last year,” he said.
Another Liberal MP and medical doctor, Andrew Southcott, said he was surprised that a co-payment was included in last year’s budget “because it was never a good idea.”
“I thought there were more pressing issues in health, and that in terms of savings, primary healthcare – which is the most efficient part of the health system – was not the place to start.”
Health Minister Sussan Ley said she was consulting doctors, patients and MPs about all aspects of Medicare policy, including the government’s proposed measures.
“I’ve been travelling the country taking the opportunity to have frank and fearless discussions and we are listening closely to ideas and concerns being put forward,” Ms Ley said.
But Mr Barnes said the medical profession should not be the “final arbiter” of health policy. “Neither government nor opposition should contract out their health policy to the Australian Medical Association,” he said.