New TV campaign continues attack on Medicare rebate for scans 

    The Australian
    July 18, 2018


One of the Turnbull government’s harshest critics in health, the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association, has doubled down in its campaign for higher Medicare rebates.

Despite a savage rebuke from Health Minister Greg Hunt, the ADIA has continued its campaign with a new TV ad focusing on the impact of out-of-pocket fees on expectant mothers and babies. “The government’s failure to re-index rebates for X-rays and scans means these services are becoming less affordable and less accessible for Australian families,” ADIA president Siavash Es’haghi said

“Pregnancy ultrasounds, for example, are still among the most underfunded Medicare services. Australians pay more than $250 million a year for ultrasounds. Unless the government ends the Medicare rebate freeze for radiology, only patients who can pay large gaps will be able to afford the X-rays and scans they need.”   

Mr Hunt has retained bulk-billing incentives but only partially thawed the freeze on rebate indexation. He has previously pointed to radiologists’ salaries and the “huge, very, very wealthy companies” involved in the ADIA campaign. The campaign comes amid uncertainty over the future rollout of MRI machines and how eligibility will be determined by a Coalition or Labor government.

whiteknight wrote on Jul 19^th, 2018 at 7:12am:



The only thing libtards can be trusted with is to eff up a good thing

We want the doctor that does the bulk-billing.