OverSixty April 2023 Digital

ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2023 | OVERSIXTY.COM.AU 6 What the Medicare reformwill mean for you ZOË MEUNIER NEWS W ith Federal Health Minister Mark Butler outlining the key recommen- dations of the Strengthening Medicare Task- force report in February, how will the chang- es e$ect you? "e Albanese government has allocated $750 million to !xing a system Butler said “does not !t the needs of Australians”, due to “six years of a Medicare rebate freeze” and “an older population with a much, much higher incidence of complex chronic care.” Despite the caveats that a$ordability is a huge challenge and the issues will take more than one budget to !x, here are the major recommendations, the details of which will be handed down in the May budget. Longer GP consultations – "e report rec- ommends for GPs to be able to bill for longer consultations, especially for patients with chronic conditions, mental health issues and those experiencing family violence. Sharing of the GP load – Again, due to more chronic diseases, the report highlights that sharing some of GP’s work with nurses and allied health professionals could ease the strain on them. "is could potentially in- clude allowing pharmacists to give prescrip- tions, instead of patients having to make an appointment with their doctor. Improving access to urgent care – Butler said 50 urgent care centres would be rolled out acrossAustralia this year, for illnesses and injuries that are urgent but non life-threaten- ing, so that those requiring life-saving treat- ment could be prioritised. GPs opening after 6pm – Butler says this is a response to the fact that all of the after-hours programs that allow GPs to o$er patients care after 6pm had been allocated no addi- tional support beyond June 30. Better distribution of GPs – "is includes !nancial incentives for doctors and nurses to work in rural or remote areas by wiping their study debt. Improved data and digital systems – the aim is to make sharing of information from providers the norm, and ensure the system is user-friendly for both clinicians and patients. However, while Australian Medical As- sociation (AMA) president Professor Steve Robson welcomed many of these measures, he felt fewwould have an immediate impact, saying nothing in the report will remedy the current issues of Australians struggling to get care in a timely or a$ordable manner. "is comes as economic modelling re- leased in Cornerstone Health’s General Practitioner Workforce Report 2022 forecast demand for GP services will increase by 38.5 per cent by 2032 (stretching to a predicted 47 per cent in major cities) leading to a short- fall of almost one in three GPs at minimum. "e increased demand is not just due to an expected increase in needs of an ageing and growing population, but the result of full- time GPs decreasing as the older generation of GPs retire and a smaller number of Aus- tralia’s medical graduates choose to special- ise in general practice. !e May Federal budget will reveal all the details of the proposed $750 million overhaul to Medicare Photo: Getty Images NEWS