Medicare co-payment: no modelling was accomplished on impact on hospitals

The Abbott government did no modelling on how its $ 7 Medicare co-payment would effect on emergency departments, in spite of medical doctors and the states warning individuals may inundate hospitals to stay away from it.

Medical doctors groups this kind of as the Australian Health care Association have for months stated a GP co-payment would cause some to delay going to the physician, and could rather drive them into hospital emergency wards.

But wellness officials have unveiled they did not undertake any modelling on no matter whether a co-payment would cause a spike in hospital visits.

As an alternative they relied on evaluation of the introduction of faster 4-hour targets for emergency division visits, which showed the measure did not create the feared “honeypot” for classic GP consumers.

The revelation shocked the Greens senator Richard Di Natale, who said the four-hour access target was “a entirely diverse scenario” from the co-payment.

“You asked if we’d modelled what might take place with the introduction of a co-payment – we haven’t done that,” the deputy well being secretary, Kerry Flanagan, informed a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.

May’s price range lifted restrictions on hospitals charging individuals for GP visits to handle state and territory considerations.

Nevertheless, most have previously ruled out introducing this kind of a payment.

“Some states and territories have presently come out and stated they’re not intending to do that but it is up to the states and territories to make these decisions,” Flanagan stated.

Earlier on Monday a prominent Indigenous wellness advocate stated the Abbott government was breaching human rights with the co-payment.

Julie Tongs, from the Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal overall health services in Canberra, stated the charge would have a key effect on the centre.

“Health is a human proper. And by performing what they are performing they are taking away that human appropriate,” she said.

Medicare co-payment: no modelling was accomplished on impact on hospitals