Look, if we’re gonna get into sectarian baiting, one could equally ask whether the Labor Party should adopt the Greens policy slate and see if they can get their primary vote to 13% too?
Look, if we’re gonna get into sectarian baiting, one could equally ask whether the Labor Party should adopt the Greens policy slate and see if they can get their primary vote to 13% too?
I think you’ve got me confused for someone with any measure of affection for the Greens. The Labor Party is about to lose government to Peter Dutton because of its own performance and we’re all going to pay for it. The Greens aren’t part of the conversation and the fact that Labor’s knee-jerk response is always to lash out at the Greens instead of asking hard questions about why it keeps losing to dribbling idiots like Dutton, Morrison and Abbott is part of the problem.
It’s a problem for the left side of politics in general. No way should they be losing to those guys, or Donald Trump, or Boris Johnson, but it continues to happen.
“If liberals are so goddamn smart, how come they lose so goddamn always”
Because they have huge institutional disadvantages (money, media &C)?
It’s a pointless policy that will barely move the needle on actual access to care, but sounds good in a headline. That’s why the libs aren’t fighting it, that’s why they don’t need to increase taxes to pay for it. Because uptake will be minimal.
It raises the rebate to 70 bucks only if the patient is bulk billed. Any gap means the rebate is still only 40. But when most people are now paying 90-100 to actually cover the cost of providing care, the chances of a practice taking a 20-30% cut and go in the red so that their patients who are currently paying, won’t be out of pocket? Good luck. It’s why it’s a bulk billing incentive, not just an increase to the rebate which might make a difference but would cost a fortune.
Look at the rebates for 20+ minute consults. Minimal change. This isn’t about better care, it’s about boosting numbers so the Labor can wedge the nation’s worst health minister. Only ones who gain from this are 6 minute medicine corporate groups who will pump through numbers “providing care” without improving health, and Labor who have avoided talking about the opinion polls for another day.
You are way too smart to make a statement that damn stupid.
I reckon maintaining a viable primary care sector is actually pretty important to access to care…
The only alternative, really, is something like nationalising primary health or banning private billing - which aint going to happen.
What it won’t move the needle on is the election.
The narrative of “we’ve done a heap of stuff, in really difficult circumstances - and I know you can’t really feel the benefits, but trust us this is a global, macro problem” isn’t really a strong campaign platform, i’m afraid.
As someone in medical finances, there’s a third category that this argument misses: a number of country doctors, with less rent pressure than those in the large cities, do bulk bill. Say, in marginal electorates like Gilmore. I’m aware of clients who travel for 30m+ to get their mental health referrals to doctors in Gilmore for this reason.
That’s not true. There’s an alternative that would require greater investment without the “dictatorshop” of nationalisation: increasing the base medicare rebates in line with real cost increases for doctors, primarily rent, rather than a tokenistic amount partially accounting for CPI.
We’re coming from a lot further back than just catching up with the increasing cost of rent - but even if you bring rebates up to ensure that they are providing billings in line with other specialties - what’s to stop them maintaining their private billings?
They’ve (been forced to) figure out that patients will pay a gap. So they’ll keep trying to find what the market can tolerate and charge it.
Unless it becomes SO lucrative that we see a huge reversal in workforce trends and there’s suddenly heaps of GPs everywhere out there competing on price… I guess I can accept that - still doesn’t seem any more likely or preferable to nationalising the whole thing.
Cancel all that stuff I said before. Just saw it’s only for clinics that 100% bulk bill. That changes a lot.
Probably a bit of a damp squib, then. Like I said, GPs have had a look at the market now and most won’t want to drop all private billing.
Might help some high volume practices, as you say, but yeah it won’t change much.
A shame.
The absolute state of this
Gonna be a big three years for consultants if/when these clowns get back in
I have no doubt that this can also be filed under that patented “non-core promise” the LNP have liked to bang on about since the Howard era.
Meanwhile …
Bruce Lehrmann is our Kanye West
Bloke has gone so far off the rails it’s clear he’s not right in the head.
Zero sympathy for both of them though.
True the rural side of things is there. Not that they really need as much support for viability with lower overheads, but the rebates are much better and universal bulk billing is achievable, improving rural outcomes.
Also, with more GPs trained, and more money rurally it becomes a more desirable option to practice there, again improving access and outcomes. So for the rural areas it’s theoretically a win.
Wasn’t there a time when Kanye wasn’t a fuckwit? Don’t think we can say the same for Bruce.
Nonsense.
What ever you think of West, he had/has a bucket load of talent.
I see no talent in Lehrmann.
Nah.
Overheads are very high. Doctors aren’t cheap, especially to retain in the bush. And they don’t have the income potential either - they service a poorer, older, less educated demographic with more complex health needs and they don’t have the access to services that we have in the city.
In the towns with only one or two practices - I don’t know anyone who is making reasonable profits. There are plenty that are in the red. The vast majority of GPs are propping up healthcare in their town with their own unpaid labour.
It’s more or less on the brink of collapse - I’m not exaggerating.
100% agree.
Wasn’t commenting on level of talent, more on state of mind, or lack thereof.