3rd May signifies a lot of things for Australia. It confronts the durability of the current Labor government and it tests the incessant digitisation of election campaigning. Importantly, it challenges the newest generation of voters to understand how the election of a new government could impact their life. In this case, let us draw our attention to our health care — specifically, Medicare.
Lots of confusing Medicare rhetoric has orbited this year’s election coverage. The Labor government, pushing a strong appeal to the safety of Medicare in their campaign, are vying to convince people that they’ve done enough to not only sustain Medicare, but improve accessibility, whilst the Coalition are attempting to ride their coattails.
The Coalition’s stance on Medicare is an evasive rhetoric to pin down. In and amongst the distracting TikTok edits and strange thirst traps, determining the safety of Medicare is left in the balance. Whilst the Coalition is frequently associated with the infamous Medicare freeze of 2013-2016, it was the Labor government who initially introduced the freeze as a ‘temporary’ measure in 2013.
Both parties are pledging billions to appeal to healthcare sympathies in this year’s election. Since 2023, the Labor government has boasted the opening of 87 Medicare urgent care clinics: completely bulk billed practices for families and individuals seeking urgent care. The closest Medicare Urgent Care Clinic to the University of Sydney’s campus is located in Maroubra, followed by a location in Carlton.
With the caveat being that they get elected, the Labor government is pledging to open another 50 clinics by June 2026, and to inject a further $12 billion into supporting the bulk billing system and incentivising practices to support the system.
The significance of bulk-billed and subsidised health care can not be overstated; especially for young people, complex health care, people with a low socioeconomic background, and disadvantaged community groups. These urgent care clinics are essential and should be included when assessing the priorities of election promises.
Alongside this pledge, proposed improvements to practice consult fees have recently been announced. The proposition increases the incentive for Doctors for shorter consults ($95 for up to 15 minutes with a current rebate of $42.85) but does not improve the subsidy for longer consults ($155 for up to 40 minutes with a current rebate of $82.90). The proposed increase to standard consult incentive rebates will go up by approximately 20 per cent to $63.50.
There are a few concerns about this pledge. Importantly, nothing changes to the average Australian’s pocket. As it stands this is a pledge for doctors to benefit. This incentive is implementable for fully bulk-billed practices and does not account for mixed billing or private billing practices. It is for the doctors, but this does not mean that doctors are inherently better off. Switching to complete bulk-billing may not be feasible for some doctors due to operational costs, the ongoing aftermath of the infamous Medicare freeze and keeping pace with inflation. Also, not every item number (service provided by the doctor) is included in this proposed incentive — and again does not factor in complex care. There are still many details left to be developed for this Medicare proposal to ensure it bolsters both the patients and creates nuanced assistance for doctors.
Whilst this is a considerable amount of support and money being put back into Australian pockets, the improvements neglect the significance of longer consults. According to the Royal Australian College of General practitioners, there has been a long-standing demand for “increased bulk-billing incentives and patient rebates for longer consultation”, especially in the 2023-2024 budget announcement. This call for funding demands more “support enhanced primary care services for vulnerable patients and more investment in rural health”, such as prioritising women’s health and complex care and management.
Included in complex and general practice care, the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme (PBS) is another unsung champion of healthcare. PBS is a program that subsidises and limits the cost of essential medication on the PBS listing determined by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee. The scheme also has a concession system for those on Health Care Cards (like students living out of home) and pensioners.
The maximum co-payment for PBS medicines is currently $31.60, but if the Labor government is elected, they are promising to drop that maximum to $25 — an intriguing and relieving incentive. However, whilst valuable, the PBS scheme does not apply to all medications and is still lacking on essential medications like Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medication.
It is crucial that students are aware how their vote on 3rd May impacts their healthcare. Especially now, when essential medications like ADHD and diabetes medications and complex care cases are experiencing unprecedented curtailment.
