MEDICAL POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Health Minister relents on opt-out

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Original article by Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: 6 : 15-Nov-18

The federal government has announced that consumers will now have until the end of January to opt out of the My Health Record system. The opt-out period had been slated to end on 15 November, after having previously been extended by a month. The 10-week extension will enable the government to make amendments to the My Health Record legislation to address concerns about privacy and security. Labor had sought a 12-month extension of the opt-out period.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

GetUp! accused of strategy switch in support of Labor

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Original article by Brad Norington
The Australian – Page: 4 : 7-Jun-18

The role of activist group GetUp in Labor’s "Mediscare" campaign during the 2016 federal election is under scrutiny. Liberal MP Ben Morton has questioned why GetUp put healthcare funding at the top of its campaign agenda for the election. He notes that the issue of Medicare ranked eighth in GetUp’s membership survey in 2015, but it suddenly ranked as a high priority in the election year. Morton alleges that GetUp switched its campaign focus in order to complement Labor’s Medicare campaign.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, GETUP LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMMISSION

Emergency key to $1bn costs shift

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Original article by Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Apr-18

Health insurers claim that they are being billed more $A1 billion a year for treatments in public hospitals that patients are otherwise entitled to receive for free. Much of the problem appears to lie with emergency admissions, with a 144 per cent increase in private emergency admissions over the past decade. The number of public patient admissions in the same period has only risen by 26 per cent. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has made it known that he wants changes to the way that emergency departments operate.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, QUEENSLAND HEALTH

Reducing taxation and improving health benefits are major issues

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Feb-18

A special Roy Morgan SMS survey, which was carried out from 9-12 February, shows that 22% of Australian electors mentioned Taxation issues, including lower taxes and tax reform, as the leading issue the Federal Government could address that would most benefit electors and their families. This is unchanged since the last time this question was asked in May 2010. A further 17% of electors mention Health issues, including private health insurance and Medicare/bulk billing (down 1% from May 2010), and an unchanged 13% mention Social welfare and the aged. Two issues now mentioned by 12% of electors are Quality of government/politicians and Reducing utilities/electricity/gas prices. Analysis of issues by voting intention shows that L-NP supporters (33%) are far more likely to mention Taxation-related issues than ALP supporters (24%). In contrast, ALP supporters (11%) are more concerned with general health issues than L-NP supporters (5%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Single medical bills one step too far as doctors stand their ground

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Original article by Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: Online : 3-Jan-18

Sussan Ley, who was federal health minister at the time, made an election commitment in 2016 that patients would receive a single medical bill covering all procedures and expenses. However, Michael Gannon, the president of the Australian Medical Association, says that is something his members would never agree to, saying it would place too much power in the hands of the person who would be charged with putting it together. The issue comes at a time of calls for greater transparency of medical fees and expenses.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Budget to quell Labor’s Mediscare

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Original article by Fleur Anderson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 4-May-17

The Australian Government’s May 2017 Budget will include a reduction in the cost of generic drugs under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The freeze on Medicare rebates will also be progressively abolished from the start of 2017-18. This will initially apply primarily to visits to GPs, and the freeze on rebates for visits to a range of specialists will be phased out over the following two years. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten argues that the freeze should be lifted immediately for all medical services.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, GRATTAN INSTITUTE

‘Mediscare’ delivers poll boost for Labor

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 24-Jun-16

The Australian Labor Party believes that it could gain more seats than expected in the 2016 federal election due to concerns about the privatisation of Medicare under a Coalition government. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sought to deflect attention from Medicare on 23 June by continuing to warn of an influx of asylum seekers if Labor wins the election, while Opposition Leader Bill Shorten reiterated that Labor will protect weekend penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, NATIONAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, RETAIL TRADERS ASSOCIATION, VICTORIA. COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY, VICTORIA. DEPT OF PREMIER AND CABINET

The boats v Medicare fear election

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 23-Jun-16

The future of Medicare was again under scrutiny on 22 June 2016, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten describing the universal healthcare system as a "birthright" of Australians. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has reiterated that his government will seek to overhaul the Medicare payments system rather than outsourcing it. Turnbull has also attempted to divert attention from claims about the privatisation of Medicare by warning that the Australian Labor Party’s border protection policies would result in an influx of asylum seekers.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF IMMIGRATION AND BORDER PROTECTION, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED

AMA head rejects Shorten’s Medicare scare campaign

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Original article by David Crowe, Sean Parnell
The Australian – Page: 8 : 22-Jun-16

Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon has rejected suggestions that outsourcing the Medicare payments system would constitute the privatisation of Medicare itself. He argues that the payments system technology is outdated and needs to be overhauled. Medicare has featured prominently in the Australian Labor Party’s recent election campaigning. Gannon says the AMA supports some of Labor’s health care policies, but it does not endorse the party’s claims regarding the future of Medicare.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN COLLEGE OF GENERAL PRACTITIONERS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, ST JOHN OF GOD HOSPITAL SUBIACO INCORPORATED, ACTU

Labor forces Medicare retreat

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 20-Jun-16

The future of Medicare was on the agenda for both major political parties on 19 June 2016. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ruled out the privatisation of Medicare or any of its services. The Federal Government had previously flagged plans to outsource Medicare’s back-office functions. However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten claims that the Government still plans to dismantle the existing Medicare system. He has also committed to blocking a proposal to reduce bulk-billing incentive payments for pathology and radiology services.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HUMAN SERVICES. MEDICARE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS AUSTRALIA (INTERNATIONAL) PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA POST, NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS