DEBORAH ONEILL

SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES

CHAIR OF THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
9 June, 2015

ABBOTTS HEALTH CUTS TO FORCE OUT DOCTORS

The Senate Select Committee on Health has heard disturbing evidence GPs will be
forced to leave the profession, bulk billing will fall, and patients hit with everincreasing out-of-pocket expenses as a result of the Abbott Governments health
cuts.
The inquiry has also been told hospital performance will worsen under a deliberate
policy to shift health funding costs on to the states and patients.
The Vice President of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr
Morton Rawlin, told the committee the proposed four-year freeze on Medicare
rebates for GPs is simply unacceptable and could force some practices to close.
I have no doubt the rate of bulk billing will reduce, no doubt at all, Dr Rawlin told
the inquiry. It will seriously impact patients costs will become even more of a
barrier.
Dr Rawlins warning was backed up by AMA Vice President Dr Stephen Parnis who
said the four-year freeze made no sense as it would simply drive patients out of
primary care, and into more expensive hospital treatment. We believe bulk billing
rates will diminish, weve called this a co-payment by stealth.
Dr Parnis also attacked the Abbott Governments $57 billion cut to public hospital
funding which he told the committee as was not based on reduced needs for public
hospitals, but under a desire to shift costs.
I expect hospital performance will worsen from 2017, Dr Parnis told the
committee.
The committee also heard about the damage being done to vital health support
groups by the cuts and delays to the health flexible funds.
Hepatitis Australia, which receives just $880,000 a year from the funds warns these
delays and cuts have severely impacted the work the government is asking it to do
to tackle hepatitis.
The organisation estimates it is now spending 30 per cent of its time on funding
applications after successive six and 12 month funding extensions, ahead of
looming new Budget cuts of around $700 million to the vital health and community
groups.

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Contact: Anne Charlton: (02) 4367 4565
Senate Select Committee on Health First Interim Report is available at
http://www.aph.gov.au/~/media/Committees/Senate/committee/health_ctte/first_interim_report/r
eport.pdf