Tel: (02) 43220559 Fax: 43244999
Saturday May 10
MEDIA
RELEASE
SAVES MEDICARE and RESTORES BULK
BILLING
“Medicare is dying from starvation under the
Howard Government’s miserly lack of care,” said Dr Tim Woodruff, President of
the Doctors Reform Society. “Budget proposals so far indicate the cost of the
Iraq war is being used as an excuse to avoid adequate support for
Medicare.”
“But there is a very obvious alternative
source of funds,” said Dr Woodruff, “a source so large it can restore bulk
billing, increase public hospital spending by 10% (well above what the States
are asking), save the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme,
improve Aged Care funding by 10%, fund a comprehensive Dental Health Scheme, and
add 10% to the spending on Aboriginal Health”.
“Reallocation of the $2.5 billion wasteful,
inefficient, ineffective, inequitable Private Health Insurance Rebate to areas
of health need would benefit all Australians, not just those who can afford
Private Health Insurance.”
“We call on this Government to honour its
election commitment to Medicare, to honour its commitment to looking after
ordinary Australians, to address their health needs, by looking
critically at how our taxes are spent, and redirecting those taxes to health
care for all Australians”.
“This can be done without touching the
budget surplus,” said Dr Woodruff. “This should be done by any
economically rational Government which holds the interests of all Australians at
heart”.
|
|
$
millions |
$
millions |
|
Private Health Insurance
Rebate |
|
2,500 |
|
Supporting General
Practice ($5 increase per consult, made up by
addition of + $140 m from current Gov
proposals) |
280 |
|
|
Package for GPs who bulk
bill everyone (yearly bonus, practice nurse, support
for capital infrastructure, medical
indemnity) |
80 |
|
|
Funding Government run
multidisciplinary primary health care centres. |
100 |
|
|
Public
Hospitals (increase by
10%) |
710 |
|
|
Aged
Care (increase by
10%) |
300 |
|
Dental Health Scheme |
750 |
|
|
Saving the
PBS: Education Program for Doctors
Prescribing Drugs (to reduce pressure on PBS from pharmaceutical
industry) |
160 |
|
|
Aboriginal
Health (increase by
10%) |
120 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
2,500 |
|
|
Dr Tim Woodruff President Doctors Reform Society |
Dr Con Costa Vice President Doctors Reform Society |
Dr Peter Davoren Vice President Doctors Reform Society |
For further information please contact the Doctors Reform Society during business hours
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