CANCER patients will be forced to fork out more for treatment if federal parliament passes changes to the Medicare safety net, a Senate inquiry has heard.
GENESISCARE, Australia’s largest provider of radiation oncology services, says capping the safety net at 150 per cent of the Medicare fee will increase out-of-pocket costs for patients and force them to use the public system.
That will mean longer waiting lists and fewer people accessing the treatment they need, executive manager Keith Hansen told a hearing of the inquiry in Canberra on Monday.