The Australian Medical Association has used its annual national conference in Brisbane to take another swipe at the government, in the group’s campaign against a four-year indexation freeze on the rebate Medicare pays doctors.
The AMA president, Brian Owler, used his opening address on Friday to call for both sides of politics to lift the “damaging” freeze which could force GPs to start passing costs on to their patients, amounting to a so-called co-payment by stealth.
He reminded delegates of the AMA’s success in bringing down the government’s previous attempts at introducing a GP co-payment.
“We swung into campaign mode and GPs across the country galvanised into action,” he said.
Owler says the freeze will affect the viability of practices, making it hard for GPs to invest in new staff or equipment, and potentially forcing them to pass costs on to patients.
The freeze, which also affects specialists, could result in higher private health insurance premiums, he said.
“I don’t think the government understood the consequences of the indexation freeze, particularly in relation to private health insurance rates,” Owler told reporters in Brisbane.
“As that becomes more evident, I’m very hopeful the freeze will be lifted.”
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