Media Releases

“The announcement by the Federal Government that the average private health insurance (PHI) premium will be only 3% this year means a gift of another $180 million in taxpayers’ money to the industry via the PHI rebate. This is despite clear evidence that it is grossly inefficient and offers a lousy product which is increasingly unattractive to the public,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“Added to that is the fact that it offers choice at taxpayer expense only to those who can afford the premiums. That means that most Australians miss out”.

“Instead, the money supports those who can afford the premiums to queue jump public hospital waiting lists.  The government could try doing something for all Australians like supporting Australia’s existing, effective and efficient public insurance scheme called Medicare”.

Dr Woodruff asks “How good is that?”

“Today’s report of the squabble between State Governments and private health insurance companies over charges for privately insured patients who use public hospital beds leaves public patients at risk”, said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society. “While they fight about money, privately insured patients take up bed in public hospitals. Meanwhile my patients wait six to eighteen months and sometimes more just to get into such public hospital beds. At the same time Emergency Departments struggle to find a bed for patients requiring admission. How fair is that?”

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The Private Health Insurance industry has suggested that the Federal Government should give more money to support a profit driven inefficient private health industry. Dr Tim Woodruff, President of the Doctors Reform Society asks “Why not just support the public health system better rather than giving tax rebates for employers to give private health insurance to employees?” Read more

All Australians who have ever benefited from a Medicare rebate should today recognise that without Bob Hawke, they could well be struggling to afford simple basic medical treatment, said Dr Tim Woodruff, president, Doctors Reform Society.

He brought back our public health insurance scheme originally introduced by Gough Whitlam’s Government and subsequently repealed by Malcolm Fraser’s Government. Hawke then entrenched it in the Australian psyche such that those who dare to threaten Medicare dare to lose the Australian electorate. Read more

Reports today that cancer doctors say Labor’s cancer plan won’t work to eliminate costs of treatment reveal both the problem of the very high fees charged by some specialists and the lack of thinking behind Labor’s policy, said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

Some private cancer doctors are saying they will not guarantee bulk billing of cancer patients whatever the rebate, and others are saying that they value their own autonomy and independence which is code for saying patients’ financial distress plays second fiddle to their desire to charge what they like. This is the sad dark side of this issue. Read more

The announcement tonight by Opposition Leader Shorten that the centrepiece of its health policy is to pick one medical condition, cancer, and ensure adequate funding for it alone goes against every principle which guides our profession.

Our patients suffer and die from heart disease, strokes, kidney failure, diabetic complications, arthritis complications, asbestosis, suicide, motor neuron disease, and many other treatable and often preventable conditions. Some of our patients also suffer and die from cancer.

To ensure excellent affordable access to care for patients who suffer from cancer is fantastic. To deny similar access to all the other patients with the many causes of pain, suffering, and death is an insult to doctors and their patients. We treat people, whatever the problem. We do not treat a diagnosis. We want all our patients to have affordable access to life saving and life changing care.

Our public hospitals provide timely access to world class care for those with immediate life threatening conditions like cancer. The biggest cost is usually the parking fee. This policy will be very helpful for those who wish to access private care. It will have minimal impact on those cancer sufferers who use the public system. It will have no impact on those who struggle with the delays and costs for non cancer illnesses.

We ask that the Leader of the Opposition broaden this narrow minded policy and understand that our health system is about treating people, not diseases.

Dr Tim Woodruff

President

Ph 0401042619

“Last nights’ Federal budget seemed to forget that as doctors we see daily the challenges to access adequate timely high quality health care for many of our patients”, said Dr Tim Woodruff, President, Doctors Reform Society.

“No mention was made of ways to address the 8% of hospital admissions which could be prevented with better GP and community care (largely funded by the Federal Government). Forgotten also was the inadequate access to proper care in nursing homes because of lack of staff and access to GPs, leading to unnecessary admissions to under-resourced public hospitals. No mention was made of the years on elective surgery waiting lists for relatively simple procedures which might return a low paid worker to productive work but for the inadequate Federal funding of both primary community care and public hospitals.” Read more

Is the rush to force 15 million Australians into the My Health Record (MHR) system without their consent just a ploy to have their private data available for commercial purposes at a later date? Would you trust this and future Governments to do the right thing?, asked Dr Tim Woodruff, president, Doctors Reform Society. Read more