Doctors issue warning over Medicare freeze
March 20, 2017
News.com.au

Doctors are warning the Turnbull government will be "burnt to toast" if an impasse over the Medicare rebate freeze is not broken.   

Health Minister Greg Hunt has indicated he is close to reaching an agreement with the medical profession over the freeze, which caused a stir during last year's federal election.

"If they don't unravel the freeze and they don't produce a positive story in health they will get burnt to toast at the next election," Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon told Sky News on Monday.   

The rebate freeze - introduced by the former Labor government and reinstated under the coalition - caps the amount doctors get back for a standard 20-minute consultation at $37.05.

The freeze would continue until at least 2020 under existing government policy, but the AMA has long warned GPs cannot continue absorbing the increasing costs of providing medical care.   

"They need to get this monkey off their back, they need to move on from the freeze so that they've got a positive story to tell," Dr Gannon said.

"At the very least, they need to restore indexation so that they recognise general practitioners and other specialists are running small businesses, the costs of which increase year-on-year.

We want the doctor that does the bulk billing.   

crocodile wrote on Mar 25^th, 2017 at 9:40am:


Until doctors are ready to get out off their offices/clinics/hospitals and stand in the streets protesting, then no they are not.

this was a stupid decision by the libs that was always going to backfire.

juliar wrote on Mar 26^th, 2017 at 3:45pm:


55 45 please call an election 

juliar wrote on Mar 26^th, 2017 at 3:45pm:

Even if they un-freeze it right now, the damage is done, since many doctors have abandoned bulk billing and are charging a far higher cost to the patient, meaning many won't go unless on a death bed.

That's the direct outcome of Fat Joe's stand-over way back with his small-minded and short -sighted attack on Medicare by attempting to dictate that the Australian people would accept his 'co-payment' or have higher costs forced on them.

Never forget who is responsible for the whole mess.

I figure if a prospective PM promised to pull Fat Joe down off his party-appointed world stage, and shove him into ignominious retirement without benefit due to excess assets - virtually everyone outside the Libs would vote for him/her.

It's time for some politician reform.......