Campaign against changes to urine and B12 test rebates ‘dishonest’, says Mark Butler
Attacks on new Medicare items for vitamin B12 and urine tests are driven by “big pathology companies” and “pretty dishonest”, the Minister for Health and…
Tag: Medicare
How Mark Butler’s bulk-billing calculations stack up (or not)
Politically, releasing 10 pages of modelling purporting to show how the expansion of bulk-billing incentives to all Australians would make mass bulk-billing profitable was a…
Should Medicare fund consults when a doctor or patient is overseas?
The AMA is open to Medicare rule changes to allow claims while a doctor or patient is overseas but says the risk is telehealth clinics…
5000 GPs to be sent warning letters over Medicare claiming by doctors or patients outside Australia
More than 5000 GPs are set to receive letters warning them about billing Medicare when either they or their patient is abroad, the RACGP says.…
‘1800 Medicare’: Mark Butler pledges funding for national after-hours GP telehealth service
The Federal Government has pledged to fund GP telehealth consultations across Australia through its nurse-led helpline if re-elected on 3 May. The service would run…
Anthony Albanese ‘stakes his prime ministership’ on GPs bulk-billing more
Asked if he would stake his prime ministership on increasing GP bulk-billing, Anthony Albanese has committed “absolutely”. Nine political editor Charles Croucher laid down the…
Why isn’t this relatively cheap treatment for major depression more widely available?
Recently, I spoke with AusDoc about my journey from psychiatry inpatient to medical student — via some electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This period was an important…
Mark Butler: Policy froth and the Medicare promised land
This is the second in our two-part federal election series. Last week we looked at the pledges made by Opposition health spokeswoman Senator Anne Ruston. When Mark…
Expecting GPs to bulk-bill is absurd: It’s like asking hairdressers to pay for cutting hair
I’m just starting out in general practice, but I’m already exhausted with politicians making promises that aren’t theirs to make and weighing in on issues…
Albanese and Dutton scrub up for a Medicare face-off, but there’s more at stake in this election
With the first full week of the election campaign health has already become a key battleground for votes alongside tackling cost-of-living pressures. Prime Minister Anthony…
