Health experts have warned that boosting doctors’ pay should not be the priority for Medicare reforms, saying the focus of the additional funding should be on a broader system overhaul, new funding models and investment in multidisciplinary care.
Pre-eminent healthcare economist Stephen Duckett, a member of the task force, said it was absolutely necessary for the Commonwealth to invest more funding in primary care, but there was no guarantee that raising doctors’ fees through the Medicare rebates would lead to more bulk-billing or increase the availability of GP services.
Health experts have warned that boosting doctors’ fees should not be the priority when it comes to Medicare reform.Professor Adam Elshaug, director of Melbourne University’s Centre for Health Policy and a member of the task force, said there was unprecedented pressure on GP practices. He said he supported more investment in primary care, but questioned whether increasing rebates was the most effective use of new funding.
“Because GP practices have already seen closures throughout Australia, especially in our rural and outer metro areas, where they actually will have to charge the cost of what it takes to keep their doors open,” she said. The Australian Medical Association has not put forward an across-the-board rebate increase proposal but instead has called for the creation of a new “extended Level B” category for consultations between 15 and 19 minutes, with a rebate of $54.66 which it says will require a $1.03 billion investment from government.
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