The hidden war on Medicare
- Cuts to pathology and diagnostic imaging affecting the most vulnerable.
- The Medicare rebate has been frozen pushing up costs for GPs and other health professionals. Reducing bulk billing as costs rise.
- The proposed privatisation of Medicare billing will affect service levels. Your personal records will be handed to private companies and possibly end up overseas. The government has refused Freedom Of Information requests for details of their studies: external link FOI The Australian
- Billions of dollars have been cut from grants to hospitals
- and much more
News Blog
How Health Austerity affects YOU
Join the Fight
Australia has a world class universal health care system.
Australia spends 8.9% of its GDP on health care.
The Unites States of America spends 17.7% of its GDP on health care with poorer outcomes and NOT all the population are covered. The USA relies heavily on the private market for health care.
Most OECD countries Have adopted publicly funded universal health care because they believe it is the most efficient means of delivering high quality health care for the whole population. Despite this, the current Australian government (and other Australian decision makers) are pursuing strategies to adopt a more privatised system.
A 2009 study in the US, summarised by the Harvard University Gazette, found that there are “45,000 deaths annually linked to lack of health coverage”. “Uninsured, working-age Americans have 40 percent higher death risk than privately insured counterparts”. These deaths do not include people who had health coverage, but not enough for expensive medical procedures. see Harvard Gazette
The OECD states that high quality health care provided as a public service is one of the key drivers for a nation’s productivity and future prosperity.
YOU CAN HELP
- Avoid increased national expenditure on (US style) Australian health care producing worse health outcomes.
- Maintain world class health outcomes for all Australians including low income and disadvantaged citizens.
- Avoid lost productivity, reduced life expectancy and loss of quality of life for Australians that will be disadvantaged under a privatised health system.
- Ensure your grandchildren don’t suffer the consequences of a society on the fringe eg “19.9% of children living in poverty, among developed countries, only Romania has a higher rate of child poverty than the USA.” External link: Inequality and the American child.
- Increase Australia’s growth.
HOW
organise rallies, create a presence in marches, distribute information and provide speakers to draw public attention to the multiple threats to universal health care.
Email savemedicaresydney@gmail.com
Visit Facebook https://www.facebook.com/savemedicaresydney
Twitter @Save_Medicare
or call Jean on 0449 646 593- Take action to get rid of the creeping co payments being implemented by the government.
- While the headline grabbing GP co payment legislation had been blocked in the Senate, the government has quietly and successfully extended the freeze on rebates to GPs to six years.
Rising costs will eventually force doctors to abandon free universal health care. The Medical Journal of Australia calculates that the rebate freeze will be the equivalent of charging an additional $8.43 copayment per non-concessional patient consultation in 2017/2018 dollars, more than the previous headline grabbing co payment. - Optometrists are now legally able to charge a basic eye test co payment. The government is encouraging optometrists to introduce the new charge by freezing their rebate as well. Rebates for Physiotherapists and other medical professionals are also frozen.
- While the headline grabbing GP co payment legislation had been blocked in the Senate, the government has quietly and successfully extended the freeze on rebates to GPs to six years.
- Test your own perception of inequality in Australia using the OECD’s easy nine step tool, and when you see where the poverty level is, consider that 17.7% of Australian children live in poverty (ACOSS report 2014).
external link http://bd9da336ae.url-de-test.ws/ - For a comprehensive list of issues including links to other groups that are fighting for a better future for Australians, go to Health Care Threats and Opportunities Map
- Read this site’s events page for any planned events.
- Read news on a major new health threat that will restrict government’s ability to pass health and environment legislation , trade treaties and ISDS