Barnaby Joyce, member for New England and deputy leader of The Nationals, welcomes and replies to AJ (Tony) Stannard’s contribution to the Soapbox (NDL, January 21) on the Medicare debate.
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It’s an important subject in a time where we must be aware of the ever-increasing costs the system is placing on the Treasury.
Spending on Medicare has more than doubled from $8 billion in 2004 to $20 billion today, yet we raise only $10 billion from the Medicare levy. Spending is projected to climb to $34 billion in the next decade to 2024.
Medicare will not survive in the long term without changes to make it sustainable.
I would strongly reject, however, Mr Stannard’s remarks that I had “insulted the professionalism and empathy of doctors”.
Since being elected as the member for New England, I have been very proactive in engaging with the medical fraternity, meeting with local practitioners on a number of occasions.
I have facilitated at least two meetings between doctors from Tamworth and the former health minister, the Hon Peter Dutton. One meeting was by video-link from my Peel St office, while the other was by conference call.
The government’s plan to build a stronger Medicare will ensure that Australians can continue to affordably access world-class health care.
Australian Medical Association president Associate Professor Brian Owler, at an AMA Parliamentary dinner in late August, spoke of the need by the government to ensure that we reward quality general practice with models that do allow GPs to spend more time on prevention and chronic disease management, rather than being subject to a competitive drive towards six-minute medicine.
Labor leader Bill Shorten said in an ABC News Breakfast interview on December 10, “that we should be encouraging people not to be shunted through in six minutes for a doctor, we are open to considering that, that there should be better health care policy in the way that patients are treated”.
There are serious problems on the horizon for health if the Medicare issue isn’t addressed.
Minister Ley has started a series of consultations and I look forward to contributions from doctors and other members of the community, including Mr Stannard, on how this issue can be overcome.
Minister Ley has made it clear that in her consultations she will be guided by the following principles:
* We must protect Medicare for the long term;
* We must ensure bulk billing remains for vulnerable and concessional patients;
* We must maintain high-quality care and treatment for all Australians; and
* We must insert a price signal of a modest co-payment into the health system for those who have the capacity to pay.