ALP health alternative needs bigger commitment
Jules Andrews The Labor Party has boldly declared that its new "Medicare After Hours" policy will provide after hours medical treatment "no matter where a patient lives". This would be a most remarkable achievement — even more so considering Labor claims it can provide this care for just $32 million a year! Labor says its "Medicare After Hours" package will address the urgent need for after hours care by providing: * A single national telephone number linking callers to telephone triage and advice lines staffed by nurses, with a GP on hand for more difficult cases * Medicare After Hours clinics co-located with public hospitals * Accredited after hours GP clinics * Medicare Teams in health hotspots One of the key aims of the plan is to ease the pressure on public hospital emergency departments. Labor says it will invest $128 million over four years for these new measures. Labor's new policy was met with muted response from the press and public with one of the few excited reactions coming from the Howard Government. Health Minister Tony Abbott claimed it was an endorsement of the Government's agenda because Labor had "plagiarised" the Government's policy on after-hours medical care. It should be noted that this bit of provocation is from the same Health Minister who has the gall to say: "There's really only one party in Australian politics which now totally and unambiguously supports Medicare and that is the Coalition. The Howard government supports Medicare and our message to the ALP is, hands off Medicare, because it's a good system and Labor shouldn't try to dismantle it." The truth is that, despite the "Strengthening Medicare" advertising blitz, the Coalition is passionately committed to dismantling the national, public health system. Private vs Public The difference between the Liberal and Labor health policy is underlined by the recent announcement of the expanded availability of MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines throughout Australia. MRI machines are essential tools in modern medical diagnoses, providing internal images of a person far superior to x-rays or ultrasounds. The Howard Government announced it will issue 21 "licences" for the machines, with interested parties "invited to apply". By this the Howard Government means the machines will be available on tender to private providers. One of the selection criteria will be the "affordability to the patient" offered by the private operator. By this the Government is indicating they will allow the operator to charge upfront fees for the tests. In contrast he ALP policy will have 10 machines installed directly into public hospitals with the Commonwealth Government paying all costs. Labor While many of Labor's recent announcements are steps in the right direction, they go only a short way towards the giant leap that is needed to restore our public health system. Labor couches its health announcements as being costed within current budget constraints. Senator Bob McMullan justified Labor's cave-in over the 30 per cent increase in prescription costs saying, "Tough decisions about spending priorities need to be made". Yet there is $2.5 billion just waiting to be spent on public health if only Labor would make the "tough decision" and cancel the 30 percent private health insurance rebate. Labor's policy of providing free after-hours medical care to all Australians could then become a reality. Labor's promise of 80 per cent of GP visits being bulk-billed could then be raised to near 100 per cent. Labor's policy of providing a national dental service for pensioners and Health Care Card holders could then be extended to all Australians. If Labor used the private health fund rebate funds to scrap HECS fees and offer professional wages to health professionals then its policy of providing more doctors and nurses could also become a reality. The fact is that Labor still falls short of backing a truly universal, public health care system.