By JESSE GRAHAM
FEARS that low wage earners could forsake their health to save money have been raised in the aftermath of last week’s Federal Budget.
The Federal Budget, which was released on Tuesday 13 May, raises the proposal for residents to pay $7 to their bulk-billing General Practitioner (GP) to help fund a new Medical Research Future Fund.
The payments, which will begin on 1 July 2015, will also be paid for out-of-hospital blood tests and diagnostic imaging services, but will be capped at 10 visits per year for concession holders, children under 16 and pensioners.
Residents will also pay $5 extra for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions, with concession holders paying an extra 80 cents.
Hospitals will also be able to introduce patient contributions for GP-equivalent visits to emergency departments.
Healesville Salvation Army Minister Sarah Eldridge said some families’ budgets were stretched so thin that the co-payment would have a significant impact.
“People say that the co-payment is only $7, and that it’s only a couple cups of coffee, but, for some families, a cup of coffee is a luxury,” Ms Eldridge said.
“While it may be only $7, it’s going to have a significant impact, and some families will choose between paying a bill on time and going to the doctor.”
Eastern Melbourne Medicare Local CEO, Kristin Michaels, said the co-payment proposal was causing concern among GPs and raised the possibility of low-income earners forsaking their health to save money.
“For some doctors working in some of our outer suburbs, where there is real social economic stress – and we’re not talking about people on enough, just people working and struggling to get by – they don’t want to put people in a position where they have to make a call about not seeing their doctor,” she said.
Ms Michaels said that, between the co-payment, petrol to visit a doctor and money for a script, the cost of seeing a doctor easily builds up for those least able to afford it.
Of the $7 co-payment, $2 would go to the healthcare provider, while $5 would go towards the government’s medical research fund, which Treasurer Joe Hockey said would be the biggest in the world by 2020.
Mr Hockey said the $7 co-payment proposal was a “modest contribution” towards the healthcare system.
“Health services have never been free to taxpayers, so patients are being asked to make a modest contribution towards their cost,” he said.
“Australians are always prepared to make a reasonable contribution if they know their money is not wasted – I can think of no more significant benefit from community contributions in health than to invest in cure and discovery research by our people for our people.”
The budget and its recommendations must pass the houses of parliament before being officially adopted.
