‘One in three have closed their books’: Are psychologists now out of reach for GP patients?
The health minister says extra Better Access sessions contributed to inequity.
Health funding cuts are always controversial, and the Federal Government’s decision to restrict the number of Medicare-funded psychology sessions for patients with a mental health care plan was no different.
The Minister for Health and Aged Care argued he was saving the system from itself because the extra sessions introduced in response to COVID-19 had left psychologists overwhelmed.
But even before Mark Butler wielded the scalpel, there were questions over the system’s fairness given the average gap fee under Better Access had risen to $78.
Catriona Davis-McCabe is president of the Australian Psychological Society.
