LEY OPENS THE DOOR TO ATTACK ON MEDICARE AS CHAOS CONTINUES IN PRIMARY HEALTH NETWORK TENDERS

The Abbott Government has opened the door for a fundamental attack on Medicare by awarding the contracts for four of its Primary Health Networks to consortia involving private health insurers.
 
But the chaos in health continues, with a last minute boundary change in NSW putting three of the tenders on hold just weeks before the PHN’s are due to start.
 
Despite the prime minister’s promise none of them would be closed, the Abbott Government abolished all 61 Medicare Locals run and operated by community not for profit boards, replacing them with a smaller number of Primary Health Networks.
 
The government openly encouraged private health insurers to bid for the new contracts, and according to a report in The Australian tenders for four of the PHNs have been awarded to consortia involving private health insurers.
 
This allows private health insurers a direct say in the running of primary health care in these areas opening the way for them to interfere in the relationship between doctors and patients and expand their reach into general practice.
 
Allowing private health insurers to run PHNs is the first step towards a two-tiered health system with health insurance members able to jump the queue.
 
This is a deeply disturbing move, which sadly, confirms yet again, this government’s determination to destroy Medicare by any means.
 
But in a further sign of the chaos in health care, the successful tenders are still to be finalised due to a last minute acknowledgment that the new PHN boundaries are too large and unwieldy.
 
The only area where this has been resolved is in the minister’s own electorate in southern NSW where a new PHN has been created.
 
However, Western Australia is still left with just three PHNs, including one covering over 99% of the state while just two PHNs cover the entire state of South Australia.
With less than a month to go until the Abbott Government’s second Budget, the handling of the PHN tenders confirms health policy in Australia is in crisis.
 
In its first Budget the Abbott Government ripped $57 billion out of public hospitals, announced plans to slug Australians with a GP Tax and higher charges for medicines and slashed a range of crucial health programs.
 
Progress on eHealth which had the potential to save lives and slash health costs has been halted with more uncertainty as to what’s happening with this vital reform.
 
Prevention programs that improve health outcomes and reduce costs and strain on the health Budget have been gutted.
 
The minister continues to push for yet another reworking of her three-times failed GP Tax, this time in the guise of freeze on Medicare rebates, but again, just weeks before this is due to start impacting on patients through ever increasing gap payments, no details have been confirmed.
 
Funding for range of services in drug and alcohol, mental health and rural health programs is still uncertain beyond 2016, with the minister instead opting for a one year delay, continuing the chaos and confusion well into the next year.
 
Just days before specialist training colleges were due to begin interviewing candidates, the minister announced she would only provide funding for another 12 months, delaying for another year a decision on whether to commit to this crucial programme.
 
After spending its first year gutting $57 billion from hospitals and trying to come up with different ways to slug Australians with a GP Tax, it seems the minister has now decided to try to destroy the health system through policy paralysis.
 
Australians deserve better than a minister who puts every tough decision in her portfolio in the too hard basket, and simply kicks the can down the road for another 12 months.
 
Australians deserve better than a government which only ever sees health as a source for Budget cuts.
 
Only Labor believes in Medicare, and only Labor will protect Medicare and build the health system for the 21st Century that Australian deserve.