What the parties are promising in the 2004 federal election: Health and Medicare

14 July 2004

Here you can find a list of what Labor and the Government are promising to do about improving Medicare and health services.

Bulk Billing and Medicare

• Provide $340 million for free specialist services through outpatient specialist clinics at public hospitals

• Provide $43.75 million for specialist care in regional, rural and remote Australia

• Raise the rate of bulk billing (free consultations) from 67 to 80 per cent by paying doctors an average of $5 more per bulk billed consultation.

• Doctors in metropolitan areas will receive an additional $7,500 each year for bulk billing 80 per cent or more of their patients.

• Doctors in outer metropolitan areas and major regional centres will receive an additional $15,000 a year for bulk billing 75 per cent or more of their patients.

• Doctors in rural and regional areas will receive an additional $22,500 each year for bulk billing 70 per cent or more of their patients.

• Medicare Gold - Free hospital coverage - public and private for Australians aged 75 and over, reducing hospital waiting lists for all age groups, and providing better value for money with private hospital insurance savings of more than 12 percent

• From January 1 next year, the Medicare rebate will go up from $25.70 to $30.20 for a standard consultation representing 100% of the schedule fee.

• $5 incentive for GPs to bulk bill children and concession card holders.

• $7.50 incentive for bulk billed GP consultations with concession care holders and children under 16 in non-metropolitan areas and Tasmania.

• Limited dental and allied health professionals services such as physiotherapists, podiatrists and chiropractors covered under Medicare for people taking part in a special primary care program. Five visits covered.

• The Government will meet 80 per cent of the out of pocket costs for medical services provided out of hospital for:

• Families that receive the Family Tax Benefit A and concession card holders once they have spent $300 in a year

• All other families and individuals once they have spent $700 in a year

Freeing Up Emergency Departments

• $350 million for priority needs in public hosptials

• Introduction of Medicare teams for health hotspots - areas where bulk billing is in free fall.

• $250 million to provide Medicare teams which will be co-located in emergency departments to offer families access to bulk billing and ease pressures on local hospital emergency wards.

• A single national telephone number linking callers to telephone triage and advice lines staffed by nurses, with a GP on hand for more difficult cases.

• Accredited after-hours GP clinics

• $72.5 million commitment over four years for bulk-billing clinics.

Health Reform

• National Health Reform Commission established to run for a year and a national summit within three months to assist in devising an integrated primary care strategy.

• Address the long term sustainability of the primary care workforce

• Examine the Medicare Benefits Schedule with a view to creating new item numbers for practice nurses

• Review the Medicare Benefits Schedule particularly for GP consultations

• Build better primary care structures to deal with chronic illnesses such as obesity and diabetes, mental health, disabilities and aged care.

• In implementing the commission's recommendations Labor will enter into new Medicare Partnership Agreements to replace the existing Commonwealth/state agreements. Those agreements will include extra funding and agreed health reforms.

More Doctors and Nurses

• $30 million over the next 4 years to the States and Territories to fund 20 additional training places for registrars in public hospitals each year - a total of 80 new places

• $64 million for more medical places at universities, 754 new commencing medical school places by 2007. By 2012 Australian medical schools will be graduating around 2,700 doctors a year, an increase of 1,000.

• $27.7 million for more nursing places at universities, 700 new full time and part time undergrates places for nursing students by 2007. By 2010 Australian nursing schools will be graduating around an extra 1,800 new nurses every year

• $18.7 million for extra specialist nursing places, 500 new full time post-graduate nursing HECS places by 2006. By 2007 there will be an extra 1,000 specialist nurses graduating every year

• $3.5 million for more scholarships to support medical students from rural and remote areas

• $17.5 million more for the Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Programme which includes increasing visiting specialist services in areas of identified need, improving linkages between visiting specialists and local health professionals, especially communication about patient care and building the skills of regional, rural and remote specialists and GPs

• $8.75 million more for rural specialists training support. Doubling the funds currently provided for specialist training in rural areas.

• Liberal/National

• 3,000 extra nurses and doctors over three years.

• Recruit 725 doctors from overseas.

• Up to 250 additional medical school places each year

Private Health Insurance

• Retain the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate (subject to review)

• Retain the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate. Increase the rebate from April 2005 to 35 per cent for people aged between 65 and 69 and to 40 per cent for those aged 70 and over.

Nursing Representative

• Appoint a Commonwealth Nursing Officer who will provide advice to government on nursing issues and provide national leadership and coordination in relation to nursing policies, training, education and practice

• No commitments in this area

Cancer Prevention

Labor has promised it will spend $64.75 million over the next 4 years to support a comprehensive national approach to cancer prevention in Australia. Labor's Preventing Cancer policy will:

• Fight against the health damage caused by smoking and aim to reduce smoking rates to 15 per cent by 2010, with reduction targets of at least 1 per cent a year.

• Support the first National SunSmart Campaign to reduce the incidence of skin cancer and melanoma, building on the current efforts of the States and the Cancer Councils.

• Commence the national roll-out of a new screening program for the early detection of bowel cancer.

• Continue the search for cost-effective screening programs for prostate, lung and ovarian cancers.

• Educate young men about testicular cancer to ensure early diagnosis, effective treatment and cure.

  Liberal/National Party

• No additional commitments in this area

  Isolated and Interstate Patients Transport and Accommodation Services

  Labor

• $17.5 million more for isolated and interstate patients transport and accommodation services.

  Liberal/National Party

• No additional commitments in this area.

  Mental Health Plan

  Labor

  A Federal Labor Government will spend $100 million over the next four years to boost mental health services.

  Labor's Mental Health Plan focuses on four major priorities:

  • Making mental health a government priority, not hiding it away

  • Early intervention, especially for young people and new mothers with post-natal depression, to help people manage their mental health problems and be active members of their family and their community

  • Community, school and workplace awareness and education, to take away stigma, help with access to training and work, and assist with early diagnosis

  • Boosting the skills and resources of GPs, who are often the first health professionals consulted by people with mental health problems.

  Making Mental Health a Government Priority

  A Federal Labor Government will provide $5.25 million over the next 4 years to establish a Prime Minister's Council on Mental Health. This will ensure that mental health has the recognition it needs and deserves. The Council will advise Government on the range of issues that affect the mental health of the nation and people with mental illness and their families and carers.

  Early Intervention

  A Federal Labor Government will spend $49.25 million over the next 4 years on early intervention programmes to help new mothers with post-natal depression and young people at risk and their families.

  Early intervention for mental illness, particularly those that lead to chronic disability or alcohol or substance abuse, is a high priority. The focus on young people and families will maximise the benefits of early intervention programmes.

  Community Awareness and Education

  A Federal Labor Government will spend $9.7 million over the next 4 years on public awareness programmes to educate people about the issues faced by people with mental health, and to help maintain a system where instances of human rights abuse and neglect can be reported.

  Better Assistance to Primary Care Providers to Deliver Mental Health Services

  Labor will invest an additional $36 million over the next 4 years to help GP's who are on the frontline of patient care, address the mental health needs of their patients.

  Currently there are several programmes that provide GPs with resources to help them better address the needs of their patients' mental health issues.

  In Government, Labor will review these programmes with the aim of providing a single system through which GPs can access the full range of needed mental health resources with a reduction in the current high levels of red tape and administration. This review will also consider the need for additional professionals to address mental health needs across Australia, and in particular, the costs and benefits of allowing psychologists to have direct access to Medicare.

  In a Federal Labor Governemnt, the Minister for Health will personally take responsibility for dealing with mental health as an area of policy and ensuring that mental health needs are on the health reform agenda.

  Liberal/National Party

  A Coalition Government will provide more resources for primary mental helth care and for reducing the burden of depression in Australia. More resources will also be available for the detection, prevention and early intervention inmental health problems in young people.

  The Government will continue and expand the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Initiative to support GPs to give more time and greater assistance to people with mental health needs.

  Additional annual funding, totalling $30 million over 4 years will be provided to address new issues and allow a greater focus on rural and remote primary mental health care.

  Continuation of the current Initiative to the expansion of Access to Allied Health Services component to enable more GPs to access allied health services, such as psychologists, for their patients with mental health problems.

  Further funding of $30 million over three years provided to beyondblue to continue work in changing community attitudes, supporting early intervention and improving services for people with depression, anxiety and related disorders. This funding will also assist to establish a national postnatal depression programme and to continue to target workplace depression.

  New funding of $50 million over 4 years will be provided to address mental health, including addiction problems in young people. The new funding will be available for a range of activities aimed at assisting GPs in the detection, early intervention and ongoing management of mental health probelms in young people.

  Aged Care

  Labor

  Labor pledges $2.184 billion to aged care by supporting the May 2004 Budget measures. In addition Labor will:

  • Introduce a Benchmark of Care during Labor's first term of office to restore public confidence in the quality of residential care for older Australians, and maintain a rigorous system of spot checks to ensure a high standard of residential care. The benchmark of care shall have as a key point minimum staffing levels.

  • Review the adequacy of and planning for aged care places.

  • Establish an Aged Care Ombudsman to protect the rights of older Australians in care.

  • Guarantee that accommodation bonds are not extended to medium and high aged care residents.

  • Provide $300 million in interest free loans to build more residential and respite facilities, including $100 million to build more appropriate residential living arrangements for young people currently living in aged care facilities.

  • Provide comprehensive dental health assessments for older Australians upon admission to an aged care facility.

  • Implement an Active Ageing Agenda to strengthen older Australians' participation in community life.

  • Address the national shortage of skilled aged care nurses and workers.

    Liberal/National Party

  • $2.2 billion over 5 years to increase the number of aged care places, improve the quality of care, provide support to carers and help providers build and maintain facilities

    No funding directly linked to safe staffing levels

    Medicines and Vaccines

    Labor

    Labor says it will pass on significant savings to Australian families through cheaper medicines and double the rebates for childhood vaccines.

    From 1 January 2005, the PBS co-payment for pensioners and concession cardholders will be 60 cents less than the Coalition and other individuals and families will be $3.60 less than the Coalition.

    This means that under Labor's plan concessional patients would pay $4.00 per script from January 1 compared with $4.60 under the Coalition and other patients would pay $25.00 under Labor, or $28.60 under the Coalition.

    A Federal Labor Government will also double the Maternity Immunisation Allowance to $427.20 from 1 July 2005.

    Liberal/National Party

  • No additional commitments in this area.
    
    

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    Contact Details
    Health Services Union of Australia
    hsu@hsu.net.au
    

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© 2003 Health Services Union (HSU)
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Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 17:19:27 EST