$38 for a Covid Vaccine consultation! No wonder Medicare is struggling.
So Labor and Liberals are pledging to spend another $8 billion on Medicare without explaining how they are going to pay for it.
A bidding war with other peoples money, or to put it another way money your children and grandchildren will have to pay back.
Rather than waste on money on Medicare why don’t they cut some of the unnecessary consultations that doctors get paid for and put the money into hospitals.
Take $38 payments to a doctor for a Covid vaccine assessment for example. Why on earth is the taxpayer paying doctors to sell dangerous vaccines on behalf of big pharmaceutical companies with criminal records.
The assessment is as simple as asking the question “Do you want a Covid vaccine?” Seriously. It doesn’t end there though – why do we have to see a doctor to get a prescription or a referral.
Why can’t we go straight to the pharmacist or specialist. Rather than just throwing more money at Medicare why can’t the Health Bureaucracy and processes be streamlined to save both time and money.
Removing the duplication between State and Federal Health systems, in particular nine Health bureaucracies is a key priority.
It’s time the major parties stopped wasting taxpayers dollars and actually implemented new ideas that will provide better services before we end up in the Stone Age.
Committee on 6/06/2024
Item Community Affairs Legislation Committee – 06/06/2024 – Estimates – and – HEALTH AND AGED CARE PORTFOLIO – Department of Health and Aged Care
Senator RENNICK: Going back to one of the first questions I asked: are we still paying doctors a $38 Medicare rebate to do a COVID vaccine assessment, assessing a person as to whether or not they’re eligible for the vaccine but they don’t necessarily get it? I’ve been alerted to this particular rebate by a constituent who went to the doctor. They were asked if they wanted a COVID vaccine. They said no and then they were asked to sign a piece of paper to say they’d been asked, and that was the extent of the assessment.
Ms Shakespeare: We’ll have the officers here for the Medicare outcome tomorrow morning, who can talk to you about that specific item and whether or not it’s still available.
The Next Day-
Senator RENNICK: Hi, guys. A follow-up to yesterday’s question about Medicare item 10660 and 10661, whereby doctors get a Medicare rebate if they give advice lasting more than 10 minutes:
… to provide in-depth clinical advice on the individual risks and benefits associated with receiving a COVID-19 vaccine …
Do you know why we need to be paying doctors $33 for one and $41 for the other one? I would’ve thought people were pretty much up to speed on that now.
Mr McCabe : Senator, those arrangements all terminate on 30 June 2025. As we’re moving into normal arrangements for vaccination, we’re not continuing those items.
Senator RENNICK: On notice, can you tell me how much you paid out for those particular Medicare items, please.
Mr McCabe : Sure.
Senator RENNICK: Thank you.
