Doorstop - Dr Bill Glasson, AMA President and Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, AMA Vice-President - Senate inquiry into Medicare

BILL GLASSON: Today we had the first of the submissions to the Senate inquiry into Medicare, and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners presented - presented their submission, along with some of the paramedical groups.

I suppose we're going to signal a couple of messages.  As your know our submission will be coming - is in there.  We're going to be presenting on that later in the month.

The issue insurance company.  Are they going to fund Medicare equally for each and every one of us in this room, or are they going to selectively say listen, you get a higher rebate as opposed to you, so then they decide to have some sort of differential rebate. 

That's not a decision.  All I can say to you that as doctors we have to ensure that in order to accept that rebate as a full payment, it has to somehow reflect what it costs to run the - run the - run a practice.  And at the moment it doesn't.

So the Government has to look at various avenues like that, and maybe some sort of differential system.  I don't know.  I mean, what we're saying is to make sure that those who need the care - particularly who can't afford the care - get the care.  And I suppose that's the group that I think the AMA's particularly advocating for.

If you've got two legs, two arms, and you're fit and healthy and out there and can work and earn a dollar or two, and you have to pay a co-payment of a few dollars, that doesn't really worry me.  But I'm concerned about those that are chronically ill, and I'm concerned about the little fellers out there, that they get the care they need, and obviously all our elderly mothers and grandmothers and grandfathers out there, that they get the care they need.

Thank you very much.

Ends