The peak body for Australia’s GPs The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the lifting of the Medicare rebate freeze as the first step towards a commitment to reinvesting in preventative health.
RACGP President Dr Bastian Seidel said more than 85% of Australians receive preventative health care services from their GP every year - and that’s not only a great decision by these patients - it’s also a great decision for all taxpayers.
“If you see your GP early you’ll save the whole community money by staying out of hospital – and receive GP health services that can cost up to ten times less,” Dr Seidel said.
“The patient rebate had been frozen since 2013 putting pressure on patients and their GPs as out of pocket fees increased.
“The lifting of the freeze was exactly what the RACGP’s #youvebeentargeted campaign was aiming for.
“We’re also pleased Minister for Health Greg Hunt has extended the Medicare Benefits Review.
“If we are serious about focusing on a preventative GP health care we need to end the inequality of GP Medicare rebates compared to other clinical specialties.
“It’s also pleasing to see the Federal Government make a genuine commitment to funding practice based research networks.
“The initial $5 million funding to kick start these networks signals a pivot towards preventative health research that will build a knowledge base for the profession and help us build a healthy Australia.”