AMA Medicare Gaps Poster
The AMA has released a new Gaps Poster showing once again how far behind the Medicare rebate has fallen, compared to costs of healthcare.
To help people understand why gaps exist in their care, and to guide governments on how to address them, the poster includes a QR link to our resource which outlines the policy gaps that currently lead to patient gaps. It outlines the clear steps governments could take right now to help patients and practitioners.
As inflation and costs soar, for both patients and medical practices, the Medicare indexation rate remains stubbornly low. Decades of under-indexation, and half a decade of a Medicare freeze, have left the rebate woefully out of reach of covering the cost of care.
Recent government injections into Medicare bulk billing incentives are positive and have improved access to care, but these relate to a tiny fraction of the more than 5,000 MBS items. They are ‘bolt-on’ incentives, not Medicare reform and don't do anything if you need to see a specialist for a consultation, a privately billing GP, or need surgery.
The AMA is continuing to call on the government Modernise Medicare in general practice, by increasing GP rebates under a new 7 tier item structure, which will ensure we have a fit for purpose Medicare, ready to tackle complex, chronic disease.
In non-GP specialist care the AMA is calling for injections into Medicare rebates, reform to the no-gap policy under private health insurance, an increase in the known gap rate, better indexation and transparency of varying insurer rebates, and a greater return of patients’ premiums back to their healthcare. The AMA is also calling for real investment in public hospital outpatient clinics so that patients have access to both public and private options for care.
