The emergency status allowed the federal government to cut through a mountain of red tape, with the goal of responding to the pandemic more efficiently.
The big news on budget night was a tripling of the bulk-billing incentive. It’s hoped to stem the decline in bulk billing – but it’s unclear if it will increase it.
The new reforms tackle some of the biggest challenges in general practice: outmoded technology, GPs working with little support, a broken funding model and restrictive regulations.
The May 9 budget will include a $2.2 billion suite of measures to seek to ease pressures in primary health care and hospitals, as well as containing initiatives directed towards the crisis in the rental…
In Australia’s bulk-billing ‘deserts’, it’s incredibly difficult to find a doctor who will bulk bill. The government should step in to support or set up clinics so locals have access to health care.
Discontinuing expanded health-care funding will result in less prenatal care for uninsured patients, more health risks, higher costs to the health system, and moral distress for health-care providers.
Medicare access could be restricted to GPs who agree to bulk bill all patients, while allowing those who don’t bulk bill to rely solely on out-of-pocket payments.
Some 90% of Australians have a My Health Record. But even if it has health information stored on there, it might be less than informative and rarely referred to.
President Joe Biden’s intention to end the national COVID-19 emergency will have long-lasting ripple effects on federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
At the dawn of Medicare, Saskatchewan’s community co-op clinics pioneered team-based, holistic care. Now, with the health system in crisis 60 years later, it may be time to return to that care model.
Medicare rebated psychology sessions are going back down to ten, following their pandemic boost to 20. But we know ten isn’t enough for most mental health disorders.
Online and phone consultations might ease pressure on local clinics and mean you can access paperwork when visiting a GP isn’t possible. But there are downsides to be aware of too.
Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne