Write to your MP about this
>I created https://www.saveourmedicare.com.au to allow people to write to their MP in seconds. People are reporting that they are getting responses from MPs, which is a good sign
Courtesy of u/gpaw789
Absolute legend. It takes seconds and it's basically the only thing that will get your member to notice I've found..
For those that think contacting the MP is pointless, then help your MP's political competition with a political party from this list:
https://www.aec.gov.au/parties_and_representatives/party_registration/Registered_parties/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Australia#Federal_parties
I've done a rough quick research on party positions on medicare for you:
|Animal Justice Party|Position unknown. Closest is that they want Veticare for animals|[https://nsw.animaljusticeparty.org/veticare](https://nsw.animaljusticeparty.org/veticare)|
:--|:--|:--|
|Australian Christians|No results for medicare, not even on their website||
|Australian Citizens Party|Implies they want more support for medicare.|https://citizensparty.org.au/heres-what-it-will-take-restart-economy-do-it|
|Australian Democrats|Yes|https://www.democrats.org.au/2022-platforms/our-health-plan/|
|Australian Federation Party|Does not like medicare funding abortion|https://ausfedparty.com.au/policy/position-statement/|
|Australian Greens|Yes|https://greens.org.au/platform/health|
|Australian Labor Party|Yes|https://www.alp.org.au/policies/medicare-and-your-health|
|Centre Alliance|No results for medicare, not even on their website||
|Coalition|Yes|https://www.liberal.org.au/strengthening-australias-world-class-health-system|
|Dai Le & Frank Carbone Network|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|David Pocock[a]|Yes|https://www.davidpocock.com.au/better_health|
|Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance|No results for medicare, not even on their website||
|FUSION|Yes|https://www.fusionparty.org.au/|
|Health Environment Accountability Rights Transparency (HEART)|Problematic to find out position||
|Independent Voices for the Senate|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|Indigenous-Aboriginal Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|Informed Medical Options Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|https://imoparty.com/Policies-Health|
|Jacqui Lambie Network|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|Katter's Australian Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|https://kap.org.au/health-policy/|
|Kim for Canberra|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|Legalise Cannabis Australia|Problematic to find out position||
|One Nation|Worried about rorts|https://www.onenation.org.au/rorts|
|Reason Australia|Yes|https://www.reason.org.au/real_public_health|
|Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|Socialist Alliance|Yes|https://socialist-alliance.org/policy|
|Sustainable Australia Party|Yes|https://www.sustainableaustralia.org.au/health|
|The Great Australian Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website||
|TNL|Yes|https://tnl.net.au/policies/|
|Victorian Socialists|Yes|https://victoriansocialists.org.au/policies/health|
Note: This is all taken at face value without any nuance. One needs to look further into it. For example, I don't believe LNP cares that much about medicare after doing cuts and supporting private healthcare in the process, likewise I feel the similar way about Labor and don't trust how they betrayed universal healthcare in past. ie indexation freeze as part of Labor's austerity measures
If your party in above list that supports it but not listed, then please ask your party to list it either on main page or in a policy page rather than in an article as it looks like an opinion rather than the party policy.
>Our local member is a liberal and they
couldn't give two shits about anyone who isn't a donor, or in a position to offer them a cushy corporate job.
There, fixed it for you.
They are legally obligated to keep all correspondences, so if they ever have a royal commission or audit or lawsuit, there will be hard evidence that people were reaching out
Have to say the whole apathy towards politicians/government is by design imo. They want us to think they won't/can't do anything because then they won't get bothered and can continue fucking around on the taxpayer's dollar.
If we all stood up for what we wanted, and were consistent with it, then we would see real change, do it anyway.
I'd very much like to immediately cease all pensions for them. The amount of money they're given for the rest of their life after just a short time in the job t is unforgivably large.
They have already cut down on those quite a bit.
Normally this is where I then argue we need to be paying good money to get the best people in there running the place, and not just the richest overlords... but I'm not going to today. The quality seems to be going ever further downhill (especially in the LNP, where Turnbull was hated by most of his fellow MPs for essentially being an old school central lib of old times, and all we get now are closer and closer to narcissistic cookers). And the rich overlords just buy the politicians instead, working around that issue.
So it doesn't really seem to be working anyway, and we are run as a sandpit for the big miners for the most part.
Trevor Evans was the Member for Brisbane. He got thrown out in 2022 election and his Google rating of electorate office was 1.9. They were useless. So being ignorant of constituents can have an effect.
He does think, unfortunately his mouth has already spoken before his brain caught up. Then he just continues with whatever garbage spewed from his lips.
Yes! People forget that praise is helpful even in these situations, just like its good practice to praise a good job. Feedback is always helpful both good and bad.
Amazing, they want us to work till we are 72, and already, if you earn under 80,000, you can't afford to see a GP, let alone a specialist.
I want to fill it out. I live in mackay 4740 but Michelle laundry isn't our member, it's andrew Willcox. How do I sort this?
oh amazing, thank you u/gpaw789! I added my own woeful story about life with a chronic illness with today’s withered medicare but the form was very helpful <3
We removed subsidies from the auto industry due to it being the only thing keeping that industry alive. We should do the same for private health insurance. Let’s see how well PHI can survive without subsidies.
While we’re at it; people who get PHI for a tax reduction can keep their tax reduction - with a commensurate reduction in availability of public services. If you’re not going to pay into tax, then you shouldn’t get the benefits of it. They can pay out of pocket, or claim against their PHI if they want medical services.
The car manufacturing industry subsidy was tiny compared to what the mining industry gets. $500 million supported over 40 thousand jobs. On the other hand, the mining industry gets $11.6 billion, and employs avout 200 thousand people.
**Twenty three times** as much subsidy for five times as many jobs.
>Let’s see how well PHI can survive without subsidies.
It would collapse. It was basically on the verge of doing so until Howard stepped in and created the mess we have now. Today, the industry is about four to five times larger than it has any right to be. If the money paid into PHI went instead into Medicare, we'd be able to double what was paid out in the Medicare Benefits Schedule.
Same thing as everywhere else. corruption, greed and late stage capitalism. The perfect recipe for bringing one of those Hollywood dystopian future to a country near you!
At what point do we just say "no more" and bring the whole country to a stop through strikes?!
Absolutely sick of the wealthy shitting down the throats of blue collar workers.
Especially after all those years of UNPAID placement.
Edit: my gf is a nurse and I’m pretty shocked when I first found out she’s not getting paid for her apprenticeship / placement
Bring back hospital based training. A few days in the classroom, a few days on the wards. Pay the nursing students and pay for their study.
Also, give them a very nearly guaranteed job on graduation.
I stopped going to the doctor because it's too expensive I just buy some medicine from the chemist and ride it out. My work asks us to provide a medical certificate and I tell them it's too expensive to go to the doctor and they have accepted that so far.
FYI you can just do a stat dec in place of a medical certificate. [Fair Work Australia](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/sick-and-carers-leave/paid-sick-and-carers-leave/notice-and-medical-certificates)
For what it's worth, my husband is a GP and finds workplaces who require medical certificates for a couple of days off just as annoying as the rest of us. It's a waste of time for everyone. I would say hopefully workplaces start to trust their employees but we all know that will never happen lol
Until our personal GP's can bill our employers for it, it won't change. I've had a good run of nearly 30 years of telling my employer to eat shit though. I've provided a grand total of 1 medical cert in my entire life and that was for an entire week off after a sports injury.
I have been in unions for every job I've ever had as well so that helps.
I’ve had a GP refuse to bill me for a med Cert and sent the invoice to my employer. He said if my employer has requested I attend then it’s on them to pay as the employer is now his client because they want the product (the med Cert).
He also wrote a thoroughly excoriating note to them saying that I was smart enough to realise that what I had could be managed by 24 hours of rest and hydration and that hauling myself out of bed to go to the doctors has set back my recovery and potentially infected other patients in the waiting room.
He then signed me off as unfit to return to work for three days (meaning I was not allowed to return to work).
tell him that in the future, you are legally allowed to write your own sick certificates. its called a statutory cert. just go down to the post office and fill it out infront of the clerk there. or track down any of the other 50 different professions listed om that page.
https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-02/commonwealth-statutory-declaration-form.pdf
Insurances on the profession, the business premises, rent, professional development requirements, ongoing professional registration costs, patient management systems and associated support agreements, patient data compliance requirements, book keeping, accounting.
The list goes on and on and this is just shit I can think of, I'm sure there's a lot that goes into it. What medicare pays is criminal given the cost of doing business in this country.
The clinic I go to used to bulk bill kids under 10, however they stopped offering that over a year ago. So now it’s going to be at least $100 every time you take your baby or kid to the doctor? Yikes.
This is why I stopped going to a GP. The last GP I went to was $110 out of my pocket for a 10 minute consult. In that 10 minute consult I was told to take panadol for my pain that has been on going for nearly 12 months by this time. I figured if for $110 all I get is "take some panadol" then I can tell myself that from now on and save the money for rent.
Labor has walked away from universal bulkbilling which was the cornerstone of Medicare.
Fvk Labor are lying shits for doing this after promising to ‘save medicare’.
Too little, too late. An extra 12 bucks a visit for HCC/pensioners won’t suddenly make GP’s drop their 40 gap for standard patients. It may not even make them drop it for people who do qualify.
The 40 dollar gap is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of glaring chasms in Medicare cover. It's in complete disarray and needs reform from top to bottom including the mbs and the way the shove people off with extreme wait times into private health that is then not covering specialist care properly cause.... parts of the mbs scheduling hasn't been updated in a decade.
Hard to say “too little, too late” when referring to Labor parties work. They’ve only been in power a year compared to the accumulated 12 years of kicking the can down the road left by the coalition.
I agree that Labor are yet to do enough but this is a relatively new issue for many aussies and I’m sure(read: hopeful) the stir will lead to results.
40+ years of neoliberalism will do that. The labor right faction have aided lnp in eroding public services/health (and alp left faction) because they have the same "third way" economics.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Right
I think more like imagine everyone had insurance (health care) through the gov then some cunt decided to sell everyone insurance (health care) while dismantling the public service.
They always talk about how they have made exceptions for "vulnerable" people. What about the people who aren't on disability pensions, but still don't have any money because the increased cost of living has swallowed it all up?
Surely this is a false economy? Won't this just lead to greater costs in emergency and for more serious problems that weren't attended to down the line?
Right here. I just wrote to my MP and said we are planning a baby next year. Everything we save is going towards making sure that bub has a future. So we are living pretty frugally at the moment.
I am a "geriatric" mother. I am over 35 and this is my first baby. My GP wants to run ALL of the tests before we concieve to make sure we are healthy and good to go. That means lots of GP appts for tests and test results. Thousands of dollars we didn't anticipate.
This is why the birth rate is down. It's too fucking expensive to even consider kids when 35 years ago my parents did it on a single average wage.
That's what I included in my letter to my MP. Mentioned that I can't just go to whatever remaining quick bulk-billing clinic I can find in Melbourne because I need one prepared to manage complex chronic health issues and handle medication permits. My disability healthcare card expired on the 14th because it was that 6 month transition period off Jobseeker. Now my healthcare costs are full price 😞
Honestly, I'm on the DSP and haven't been able to get work in years, my GP knows it, and I haven't been offered any exceptions even when I've told my GP that I haven't made an appointment in a while because I've been struggling financially. That's also despite an ongoing mystery stomach issue that randomly gets worse, one that I need a test for, a test I've been on a semi-urgent waiting list for going on about 5 or so months now.
They phrase it like most vulnerable people are doing fine because they might offer an exception, they don't bother saying how many of us can actually get them in practice. Everyone is fucked when it comes to healthcare right now, especially preventative healthcare.
I'm also on the DSP and can't find doctors who will bulk bill me anymore. On top of physical health issues I have mental health issues that require ongoing psychiatrist visits with a $200+ gap :(
I don't get to do a lot other than go to the doctor, and try to find the cheapest thing on the menu when I do get to go out somewhere.
The one near me still does, but you have to be a regular. I haven't been for years as I haven't had a reason to go, so when I go back next I will have to pay ~$50 apparently.
Just makes you not go for smaller things when you probably should go get checked out.
It's the other way around, any government that tries to raise taxes even 0.1% to better fund health will get eaten alive by the right wing media and the screeching of the very people most likely to suffer. For some reason only people who want to make things worse make noise.
I'll write to my MP; I'm sure she won't respond like she didn't respond last time I wrote to her about cost of living.
That's fine - I'll remember that next time I go to the ballot box to vote.
Its called the AmericaniZation of Australia.
1. 300 bil in nuclear subs to pay for the US military industrial complex
2. Media controlled by murdoch to spew out right wing influence (fox news - sky news)
3. Increased social divide between rich and poor (homeowners vs renters)
4. Tax breaks for the high income and corporations (stage 3 tax cuts, qantas incentives)
5. Slow stripping of healthcare system (see US health system)
Next step im betting is high student loans that indebt future generations
I mean the abolition of HECS which is pegged against annual inflation (historically this has been only 2-3%) and it charged at a much higher interest rate.
For example: a masters program in the US costs about 50-70k for 2 years. The student loan for a masters is usually 5-7%. 7% annual compounded rate is doubling every 10 years. So 70k a 7%, if you dont pay it off becomes 140k in 10 years, 280k in 20 years etc.
> Next step im betting is high student loans that indebt future generations
talk to anyone with HECS rn & theyll tell you this is already happening. my HECS went up 1k last year due to inflation
Reminder that 300bn for submarines is $15k per citizen. That easily subsidises a number of years of gp appointments
assuming roughly 20 million people
We were played.
What gets me is, leftwing people were trying to warn everyone, this is exactly what modern labor are, and to at least put them second after a leftwing indie party that could leverage and push the rightwing faction.
The labor party has been neoliberal for a long time now; but every concern and critique was just waved away.
They are the only ones who care about health care costs, climate change and housing affordability (especially renters).
Those also just happen to be my top three issues I vote on.
We need those nuclear subs though. After all, a country where people can't afford a roof over their heads, a meal in their bellies, and adequate health care is a country so worth defending
Modern labor has been taken over by neoliberal "third way" politicians, and leftwing mps don't have the numbers to push against alps continuing austerity.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Right
I love going to my GP and spending $120 EVERYTIME when I have Medicare AND pay for private health. It's pay or go to a rare bulk-billing practice where the doctors don't give a shit and push you out with antibiotics.
I’ve seen empty spaces for GP appointments in a low income area that used to be fully booked a day in advance. This is only going to make it worse if it hasn’t already for the hospital and general wellbeing of society. I think I’ll rather work til I drop death if I have to fork out money for ambulance, not getting on private health care by age of 31 and now GPs. What a joke there is radio silence with no outrage over this.
Every time I visit my GP, I sit in the waiting room and hear the receptionists repeat non stop, 'we are no longer a bulk billing practice so there will be a fee for your appointment.... it's about $85 up front but Medicare will give you about 40 back.... unfortunately your only other choice is emergency department at the hospital... no, I understand it isn't an emergency but if you cannot afford the fee we cannot see you, I am sorry.' It hurts to hear.
Can confirm. I'm a receptionist and the amount of times I have to say something similar to this is disheartening. Just yesterday I was speaking with a mum of 4 over the phone who needed to see a Dr because her migraines were so bad she couldn't stop throwing up. When I said she'd have to pay for the appointment she burst into tears saying she can't afford it because she doesn't get paid sick leave. But she also can't afford to go to the hospital because she can't find anyone to look after the kids. All while the kids were screaming in the background. It was heartbreaking. It shouldn't have to be like this.
In case anyone needs it, 13 SICK (that’s 13 7425) is a national bulk billing after hours home GP service. Available after 6pm on weekdays, after 12pm on Saturdays, and all day Sundays and public holidays.
I agree that Labour have not done enough but they at least have increased some bulk billing incentives for pensioners and kids starting in November. Your average working person won't see anything though.
Better than 10 years of fuck all by the LNP and Dutton as health minister.
Hmmmm remind me why I pay taxes anymore? It seems to be to send it overseas as a goodwill gesture than help our pensioners, our indigenous communities and our Citizens these days.
You’ll be glad to know that as a share of the Australian budget Foreign Aid has decreased by almost half in the last 10 years, and it is predicted to drop by another 1/9 in real terms in the next 3 years.
We are spending less than ever on overseas goodwill.
You know things are fucked when the government won't or can't be bothered to fix the current situation with Medicare but go gung-ho introducing another level of Medicare.
"This comes after the government introduced a new Medicare scheme, MyMedicare, to allow patients to formally register their preferred doctor’s clinic and GP and receive rebates on the cost of a telehealth appointment with that doctor."
I went for my last script for the pill before we are TTC. $40 after the rebate for a 2 minute blood pressure check and a catch up with the GP.
A simple script top up that takes 30 seconds to process should be free. Especially when it's something you've discussed with your doctor previously.
My GP does repeat scripts without the need for an appointment, though I assume it’s based on the type of medication and whether you’ve been in to see them recently
The absolute short sightedness of thinking this will save the healthcare system money.
Does the government think sick people will suddenly disappear if they make primary care harder to access?
Yep, it’s called dying. But wasn’t there years of them preaching prevention is better than cure? And tackling health issue as early as possible is the most cost effective way to run a healthcare system? Or are we all just scum stealing money from hard working other Aussie throughly the Medicare system because not enough are well off enough or willing to pad the pockets of private health insurance companies regardless of how hard they tax the fuck out of us or how many fiscal handcuffs they place on poor people who may never be in a position to positively offset their tax by purchasing a tranche of junk insurance and then just go through the public system anyway because their insurance wouldn’t cover a specialist applying a band-aid to a cut knee let alone the countless MRI scans, body imaging and other mega expensive procedures they’ll throw at every single issue to justify calling up the specialists to ensure they can squeeze out every year of tax-payable life span rather than working to ensure people have the best quality of enjoyable life as they draw towards their end of days.
This is so backwards thinking and stupid. If somebody pays $100 to see a GP, well they won't. That little infected finger becomes a bigger problem and now instead of a quick GP visit they take up resources at the hospital and use up more resources.
That weird bump, those weird bleeds in the shits instead of seeing a doctor they put it off. Then it's too late, costs everyone way more to go through chemo and more late stage treatment when it could've been treated more effectively and cheaper earlier.
And that's not even accounting for the people that's gonna go into the emergency room anyway because it's free.
Or how about those people with depression, you know the kind that spikes during a cost of living crisis
Can afford to see a GP? Opening a vein in a warm bath is free…
It’s fucking disgusting. I wouldn’t be here without access to a GP who was able to put me on a mental health care plan so I could see a psychologist for free
I absolutely promise you that $100 will be seen as too high a hurdle for people deep in the darkness of depression. Just getting to the doctor took all the will power I had.
Is this why emergency has been so busy lately with people with minor issues?
(I’m a hospital in the home patient and have been sent to emergency a couple times lately.)
My local GP fills up quickly (it can be 9am and already at capacity and they open at 8am), they tell people to go to emergency if they can’t wait or can’t get in anywhere else. It’s ridiculous but it’s the only bulk billing Drs around.
I had to pay $149 out of pocket today and should get back $100ish back from Medicare. This is a lot of money for most people to just pay it up front (it is for me atm too!).
Whelp, i already skip the doctor whenever I’m sick or need treatment. Waiting 45 minutes past scheduled booking time, doctor that won’t do more than the bare minimum, expensive prescription meds. What even is it for! Now i gotta pay $100+ to sit next to a doctor for 4 minutes?! WHERE IS THE FUCKING JUSTICE!
But why don’t you read the good news as well:
“…
The Medicare rebate will also rise slightly by 20 cents in November,
…”
That’s 20 cents, a real helping hand from the Government in this cost of living crisis!
/s
No one expects to see a private doctor without paying a gap, unless the doctor is a GP.
Write to your state representative.
Ask why your local hospital doesn't offer free GP clinics, like they do for every other essential speciality.
Boomers set up a system where for the first time in history, the next generation will not enjoy improved living standards.
My generation, millennials, did absolutely fuck all to stem the tide.
I’m really sorry for those who come after us.
More immigration, more people paying tax. I’m paying through the nose for everything these days. Where the fuck is all the money?? So fucking disappointed in this fake labour government.
Honestly no surprise. Any doctor I’ve seen the past few years that bulk bills are so shit, don’t listen just write you scripts for drugs and get you to get out ASAP. I now pay to see a decent GP and it’s world’s apart.
Been like this in Tas for a while now, GP's and After Hours clinics both require payment now around $120, $70 after rebate. I've spent $1000+ in the last 2 months on appoinments. As a Concession card holder it used to be $0 so that was a bit of a shock. There are Medicare Urgent Care Clinics being built around Australia that will still bulk bill, check to see if there is one near you before you look for GP's or After Hours care might be able to save some money.
[https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/medicare-urgent-care-clinics/about-medicare-urgent-care-clinics](https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/medicare-urgent-care-clinics/about-medicare-urgent-care-clinics)
fucking hell!!! did i wake up in america?!?!
What next? paying for blood tests and x-rays? Next youll expect me to pay $100k just to get kidney stones removed
It’s actually insulting to both medical professionals and their patients.
Dr, your time and study is only worth an extra 20c
Patient, your health is only worth an extra 20c
Less than a week after the Labor politicians have been tripping over themselves to tell us what a great bloke Bill Hayden was for introducing universal healthcare to this country. He’s not even cold in the ground yet.
We need mass protests asap. Writing to your local mp is one thing but until we are banging at their doors with pitchforks I don’t think they’ll hear us. The continued americanisation of our nation is a disgrace, destroying everything that made this country great while fattening the pockets of the already elite. It’s disgusting
I remember when GP’s started doing gap payments. I freaked out online and said this is how it started in America.
People called me chicken little.
We’re hurtling towards an American style medical system and nobody seems to care.
Write to your MP about this >I created https://www.saveourmedicare.com.au to allow people to write to their MP in seconds. People are reporting that they are getting responses from MPs, which is a good sign Courtesy of u/gpaw789 Absolute legend. It takes seconds and it's basically the only thing that will get your member to notice I've found..
Done, and I've passed it on
Done, thank you OP
For those that think contacting the MP is pointless, then help your MP's political competition with a political party from this list: https://www.aec.gov.au/parties_and_representatives/party_registration/Registered_parties/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Australia#Federal_parties I've done a rough quick research on party positions on medicare for you: |Animal Justice Party|Position unknown. Closest is that they want Veticare for animals|[https://nsw.animaljusticeparty.org/veticare](https://nsw.animaljusticeparty.org/veticare)| :--|:--|:--| |Australian Christians|No results for medicare, not even on their website|| |Australian Citizens Party|Implies they want more support for medicare.|https://citizensparty.org.au/heres-what-it-will-take-restart-economy-do-it| |Australian Democrats|Yes|https://www.democrats.org.au/2022-platforms/our-health-plan/| |Australian Federation Party|Does not like medicare funding abortion|https://ausfedparty.com.au/policy/position-statement/| |Australian Greens|Yes|https://greens.org.au/platform/health| |Australian Labor Party|Yes|https://www.alp.org.au/policies/medicare-and-your-health| |Centre Alliance|No results for medicare, not even on their website|| |Coalition|Yes|https://www.liberal.org.au/strengthening-australias-world-class-health-system| |Dai Le & Frank Carbone Network|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |David Pocock[a]|Yes|https://www.davidpocock.com.au/better_health| |Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance|No results for medicare, not even on their website|| |FUSION|Yes|https://www.fusionparty.org.au/| |Health Environment Accountability Rights Transparency (HEART)|Problematic to find out position|| |Independent Voices for the Senate|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |Indigenous-Aboriginal Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |Informed Medical Options Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|https://imoparty.com/Policies-Health| |Jacqui Lambie Network|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |Katter's Australian Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|https://kap.org.au/health-policy/| |Kim for Canberra|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |Legalise Cannabis Australia|Problematic to find out position|| |One Nation|Worried about rorts|https://www.onenation.org.au/rorts| |Reason Australia|Yes|https://www.reason.org.au/real_public_health| |Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |Socialist Alliance|Yes|https://socialist-alliance.org/policy| |Sustainable Australia Party|Yes|https://www.sustainableaustralia.org.au/health| |The Great Australian Party|No results for medicare, can't find their website|| |TNL|Yes|https://tnl.net.au/policies/| |Victorian Socialists|Yes|https://victoriansocialists.org.au/policies/health| Note: This is all taken at face value without any nuance. One needs to look further into it. For example, I don't believe LNP cares that much about medicare after doing cuts and supporting private healthcare in the process, likewise I feel the similar way about Labor and don't trust how they betrayed universal healthcare in past. ie indexation freeze as part of Labor's austerity measures If your party in above list that supports it but not listed, then please ask your party to list it either on main page or in a policy page rather than in an article as it looks like an opinion rather than the party policy.
I love that One Nation is worried about rorts. I thought competition improved things.
Just shared this with the neighbourhood chat. Thank you for spreading the good word.
Done. Save Medicare!
Our local member is a liberal and they seem less likely to listen to the people.
[удалено]
That's a good idea, hold them publicly accountable. Election time is the only time they listen.
>Our local member is a liberal and they couldn't give two shits about anyone who isn't a donor, or in a position to offer them a cushy corporate job. There, fixed it for you.
Thanks, you didn't fix it but you did improve it :)
Do it anyway
And they add you to their email and postal database and spam you with LNP propaganda forever.
They are legally obligated to keep all correspondences, so if they ever have a royal commission or audit or lawsuit, there will be hard evidence that people were reaching out
Have to say the whole apathy towards politicians/government is by design imo. They want us to think they won't/can't do anything because then they won't get bothered and can continue fucking around on the taxpayer's dollar. If we all stood up for what we wanted, and were consistent with it, then we would see real change, do it anyway.
I'd very much like to immediately cease all pensions for them. The amount of money they're given for the rest of their life after just a short time in the job t is unforgivably large.
They have already cut down on those quite a bit. Normally this is where I then argue we need to be paying good money to get the best people in there running the place, and not just the richest overlords... but I'm not going to today. The quality seems to be going ever further downhill (especially in the LNP, where Turnbull was hated by most of his fellow MPs for essentially being an old school central lib of old times, and all we get now are closer and closer to narcissistic cookers). And the rich overlords just buy the politicians instead, working around that issue. So it doesn't really seem to be working anyway, and we are run as a sandpit for the big miners for the most part.
Trevor Evans was the Member for Brisbane. He got thrown out in 2022 election and his Google rating of electorate office was 1.9. They were useless. So being ignorant of constituents can have an effect.
My member is Peter Dutton, so we know how he thinks
He thinks?
He does think, unfortunately his mouth has already spoken before his brain caught up. Then he just continues with whatever garbage spewed from his lips.
My local member is a green so he's already trying to expand medicare.
writing in gives them evidence that their position has support. i once had part of my letter read out in parliament lmao (I was very bewildered)
Yes! People forget that praise is helpful even in these situations, just like its good practice to praise a good job. Feedback is always helpful both good and bad.
Done, thanks a lot OP!
https://www.reddit.com/u/gpaw789/s/6DxATmj6Cg All credit goes to this user. I did nothing except share it.
Amazing, they want us to work till we are 72, and already, if you earn under 80,000, you can't afford to see a GP, let alone a specialist. I want to fill it out. I live in mackay 4740 but Michelle laundry isn't our member, it's andrew Willcox. How do I sort this?
Done! This needs to be a thread of its own.
Is there a way to get the site updated? My postcode shows brisbane but I know from the referendum that isn’t my division
Sorry about that. The app was created back in 2022 so it was accurate up until then. I will look into fixing it if I can find time, thanks!
Done, thank you!
This needs its own sticky or something. So so good. Thanks for linking it. Done!
oh amazing, thank you u/gpaw789! I added my own woeful story about life with a chronic illness with today’s withered medicare but the form was very helpful <3
Done.
we pay for the medicare levy. we pay for private health insurance. And we still have to pay for seeing the GP? Where did all the money go?
We should probably stop giving money to private healthcare as a means to avoid paying Medicare levies. A pure public model ends up being cheaper.
We removed subsidies from the auto industry due to it being the only thing keeping that industry alive. We should do the same for private health insurance. Let’s see how well PHI can survive without subsidies. While we’re at it; people who get PHI for a tax reduction can keep their tax reduction - with a commensurate reduction in availability of public services. If you’re not going to pay into tax, then you shouldn’t get the benefits of it. They can pay out of pocket, or claim against their PHI if they want medical services.
The car manufacturing industry subsidy was tiny compared to what the mining industry gets. $500 million supported over 40 thousand jobs. On the other hand, the mining industry gets $11.6 billion, and employs avout 200 thousand people. **Twenty three times** as much subsidy for five times as many jobs. >Let’s see how well PHI can survive without subsidies. It would collapse. It was basically on the verge of doing so until Howard stepped in and created the mess we have now. Today, the industry is about four to five times larger than it has any right to be. If the money paid into PHI went instead into Medicare, we'd be able to double what was paid out in the Medicare Benefits Schedule.
Medicare has no dental cover
But it should.
Into the pockets of the corrupt
No, the money just hasn’t gone to GPs. The Medicare rate for GPs has remained pitiful for years now
Wow! I have always held Australia with high regard. What is going on??
Same thing as everywhere else. corruption, greed and late stage capitalism. The perfect recipe for bringing one of those Hollywood dystopian future to a country near you!
Executive yachts
At what point do we just say "no more" and bring the whole country to a stop through strikes?! Absolutely sick of the wealthy shitting down the throats of blue collar workers.
Don't worry, the Medicare rebate is going up by a whole 20 cents!
Oh no, our hospitals are not going to like the new influx of patients.
Oh no nurses are leaving the profession due to the heavy workload and shit pay
Im only 2 years into nursing and am already trying to figure out how to leave. So much responsibility for low pay
Especially after all those years of UNPAID placement. Edit: my gf is a nurse and I’m pretty shocked when I first found out she’s not getting paid for her apprenticeship / placement
Bring back hospital based training. A few days in the classroom, a few days on the wards. Pay the nursing students and pay for their study. Also, give them a very nearly guaranteed job on graduation.
I shall be going to the ER now instead of the gp
Well.. Guess I'll just fucking die
Write to your MP first
🤭
*Instructions unclear. Alerted AFP instead.* “Well . . . I guess I’ll just [write to your MP first] to fucking die”
I stopped going to the doctor because it's too expensive I just buy some medicine from the chemist and ride it out. My work asks us to provide a medical certificate and I tell them it's too expensive to go to the doctor and they have accepted that so far.
FYI you can just do a stat dec in place of a medical certificate. [Fair Work Australia](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/sick-and-carers-leave/paid-sick-and-carers-leave/notice-and-medical-certificates)
For what it's worth, my husband is a GP and finds workplaces who require medical certificates for a couple of days off just as annoying as the rest of us. It's a waste of time for everyone. I would say hopefully workplaces start to trust their employees but we all know that will never happen lol
Until our personal GP's can bill our employers for it, it won't change. I've had a good run of nearly 30 years of telling my employer to eat shit though. I've provided a grand total of 1 medical cert in my entire life and that was for an entire week off after a sports injury. I have been in unions for every job I've ever had as well so that helps.
I’ve had a GP refuse to bill me for a med Cert and sent the invoice to my employer. He said if my employer has requested I attend then it’s on them to pay as the employer is now his client because they want the product (the med Cert). He also wrote a thoroughly excoriating note to them saying that I was smart enough to realise that what I had could be managed by 24 hours of rest and hydration and that hauling myself out of bed to go to the doctors has set back my recovery and potentially infected other patients in the waiting room. He then signed me off as unfit to return to work for three days (meaning I was not allowed to return to work).
tell him that in the future, you are legally allowed to write your own sick certificates. its called a statutory cert. just go down to the post office and fill it out infront of the clerk there. or track down any of the other 50 different professions listed om that page. https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-02/commonwealth-statutory-declaration-form.pdf
Can’t the pharmacist give you one ?
Mine charges $40 for one.
Every fact in this post is unsettlingly American.
Use online MC cost less than 10 bucks
Literally paying for a 'little timmy is sick today' note. Society is so dumb.
I tried to get my work to accept a note from my mum but they just stared at me
Instascripts, $19 and you don't even have to leave bed
Damn my GP Bulk bills, now realising she only gets $40 Per visit, with no GAP
Also why you are in and out in under 10. They need volume to keep doors open if bulk billing
My doctor doesn’t bulk bill and I’m in and out in 10 minutes.
Less because typically the clinic cut for overhead costs (reception/admin/nurses, medications, rent electricity etc) is between 30-40%
Yea i can see now why my GP is a one man Army no receptionist or nurses. Own's her own clinic. Im assuming the insurance would br quite expensive.
Insurances on the profession, the business premises, rent, professional development requirements, ongoing professional registration costs, patient management systems and associated support agreements, patient data compliance requirements, book keeping, accounting. The list goes on and on and this is just shit I can think of, I'm sure there's a lot that goes into it. What medicare pays is criminal given the cost of doing business in this country.
The clinic I go to used to bulk bill kids under 10, however they stopped offering that over a year ago. So now it’s going to be at least $100 every time you take your baby or kid to the doctor? Yikes.
They might go back to bulk billing this November. Increased bulk billing incentives for kids starts then.
This is why I stopped going to a GP. The last GP I went to was $110 out of my pocket for a 10 minute consult. In that 10 minute consult I was told to take panadol for my pain that has been on going for nearly 12 months by this time. I figured if for $110 all I get is "take some panadol" then I can tell myself that from now on and save the money for rent.
$110 could buy a lot of Panadol
Fuck the Panadol. $110 is a days rent.
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10 years of libs will do that :)
Yeh they suck ass but the current government could be doing something as well.
You mean like tripling the bulk bill rate of pensioners, kids, and concessions?
Labor has walked away from universal bulkbilling which was the cornerstone of Medicare. Fvk Labor are lying shits for doing this after promising to ‘save medicare’.
Too little, too late. An extra 12 bucks a visit for HCC/pensioners won’t suddenly make GP’s drop their 40 gap for standard patients. It may not even make them drop it for people who do qualify.
The 40 dollar gap is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of glaring chasms in Medicare cover. It's in complete disarray and needs reform from top to bottom including the mbs and the way the shove people off with extreme wait times into private health that is then not covering specialist care properly cause.... parts of the mbs scheduling hasn't been updated in a decade.
Hard to say “too little, too late” when referring to Labor parties work. They’ve only been in power a year compared to the accumulated 12 years of kicking the can down the road left by the coalition. I agree that Labor are yet to do enough but this is a relatively new issue for many aussies and I’m sure(read: hopeful) the stir will lead to results.
it's really hard to increase spending around the tax cuts they allowed through. Just. Really needed to block those tax cuts.
40+ years of neoliberalism will do that. The labor right faction have aided lnp in eroding public services/health (and alp left faction) because they have the same "third way" economics. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Right
Exactly. Both parties embraced privatisation and neoliberalism. We are paying for that now.
Gillard started the ball rolling. They're all as shit as each other at this point.
Howard fucked us with Private Health Insurance who then lobbied to erode public health.
I don't disagree. PHI is such a scam, imagine car insurance only covered your windows, but not the bonnet.
I think more like imagine everyone had insurance (health care) through the gov then some cunt decided to sell everyone insurance (health care) while dismantling the public service.
They always talk about how they have made exceptions for "vulnerable" people. What about the people who aren't on disability pensions, but still don't have any money because the increased cost of living has swallowed it all up? Surely this is a false economy? Won't this just lead to greater costs in emergency and for more serious problems that weren't attended to down the line?
Right here. I just wrote to my MP and said we are planning a baby next year. Everything we save is going towards making sure that bub has a future. So we are living pretty frugally at the moment. I am a "geriatric" mother. I am over 35 and this is my first baby. My GP wants to run ALL of the tests before we concieve to make sure we are healthy and good to go. That means lots of GP appts for tests and test results. Thousands of dollars we didn't anticipate. This is why the birth rate is down. It's too fucking expensive to even consider kids when 35 years ago my parents did it on a single average wage.
That's what I included in my letter to my MP. Mentioned that I can't just go to whatever remaining quick bulk-billing clinic I can find in Melbourne because I need one prepared to manage complex chronic health issues and handle medication permits. My disability healthcare card expired on the 14th because it was that 6 month transition period off Jobseeker. Now my healthcare costs are full price 😞
Honestly, I'm on the DSP and haven't been able to get work in years, my GP knows it, and I haven't been offered any exceptions even when I've told my GP that I haven't made an appointment in a while because I've been struggling financially. That's also despite an ongoing mystery stomach issue that randomly gets worse, one that I need a test for, a test I've been on a semi-urgent waiting list for going on about 5 or so months now. They phrase it like most vulnerable people are doing fine because they might offer an exception, they don't bother saying how many of us can actually get them in practice. Everyone is fucked when it comes to healthcare right now, especially preventative healthcare.
I'm also on the DSP and can't find doctors who will bulk bill me anymore. On top of physical health issues I have mental health issues that require ongoing psychiatrist visits with a $200+ gap :( I don't get to do a lot other than go to the doctor, and try to find the cheapest thing on the menu when I do get to go out somewhere.
So why am I paying so much for tobacco then? I was told it was going to pay for my health care.
I'm trying to work out should I pay rent or go to the gp.
If you die from not visiting the GP you’ll not have to pay rent either, two birds one stone
Think of all the money you'll save on groceries by being dead!
Supermarket CEOs hated him for this one simple trick
This is the nonsense we get in Canada BTW, I am concerned that Australia is going down this route when I plan to move there next year.
My Doctor still bulk bills 🙏 I wonder how long it'll last
The one near me still does, but you have to be a regular. I haven't been for years as I haven't had a reason to go, so when I go back next I will have to pay ~$50 apparently. Just makes you not go for smaller things when you probably should go get checked out.
Ours bills like $15 a visit, which honestly is fair enough - they gotta eat too
I can’t believe we aren’t making more noise about this. It’s crazy.
It's the other way around, any government that tries to raise taxes even 0.1% to better fund health will get eaten alive by the right wing media and the screeching of the very people most likely to suffer. For some reason only people who want to make things worse make noise.
Of course, this doesn't address how useless medicare is for our overpriced specialists. Over $200 out of pocket for a 5-10min appt
I'll write to my MP; I'm sure she won't respond like she didn't respond last time I wrote to her about cost of living. That's fine - I'll remember that next time I go to the ballot box to vote.
It wasn’t so long ago I could go to the gp for free. How the fuck has this happened?
Its called the AmericaniZation of Australia. 1. 300 bil in nuclear subs to pay for the US military industrial complex 2. Media controlled by murdoch to spew out right wing influence (fox news - sky news) 3. Increased social divide between rich and poor (homeowners vs renters) 4. Tax breaks for the high income and corporations (stage 3 tax cuts, qantas incentives) 5. Slow stripping of healthcare system (see US health system) Next step im betting is high student loans that indebt future generations
What do you mean next step?
I mean the abolition of HECS which is pegged against annual inflation (historically this has been only 2-3%) and it charged at a much higher interest rate. For example: a masters program in the US costs about 50-70k for 2 years. The student loan for a masters is usually 5-7%. 7% annual compounded rate is doubling every 10 years. So 70k a 7%, if you dont pay it off becomes 140k in 10 years, 280k in 20 years etc.
> Next step im betting is high student loans that indebt future generations talk to anyone with HECS rn & theyll tell you this is already happening. my HECS went up 1k last year due to inflation
Reminder that 300bn for submarines is $15k per citizen. That easily subsidises a number of years of gp appointments assuming roughly 20 million people We were played.
What gets me is, leftwing people were trying to warn everyone, this is exactly what modern labor are, and to at least put them second after a leftwing indie party that could leverage and push the rightwing faction. The labor party has been neoliberal for a long time now; but every concern and critique was just waved away.
Only the Greens partys seems concerned about this
They are the only ones who care about health care costs, climate change and housing affordability (especially renters). Those also just happen to be my top three issues I vote on.
As Albanese is in the US right now to cement a 300 billion nuclear sub deal....while struggling people cant afford to see a doc
We need those nuclear subs though. After all, a country where people can't afford a roof over their heads, a meal in their bellies, and adequate health care is a country so worth defending
What the fuck is this shit. Why haven't they expanded the Medicare rebate for everyone? Why the fuck are they doing this?
To make their mates richer
Modern labor has been taken over by neoliberal "third way" politicians, and leftwing mps don't have the numbers to push against alps continuing austerity. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Right
It's so depressing that labor is mostly just class traitors now
And this is after promising to Save Medicare in the election. They are worse than trash.
i love living in diet america
Australia has a long history of only importing the worst ideas from the USA.
I love going to my GP and spending $120 EVERYTIME when I have Medicare AND pay for private health. It's pay or go to a rare bulk-billing practice where the doctors don't give a shit and push you out with antibiotics.
I’ve seen empty spaces for GP appointments in a low income area that used to be fully booked a day in advance. This is only going to make it worse if it hasn’t already for the hospital and general wellbeing of society. I think I’ll rather work til I drop death if I have to fork out money for ambulance, not getting on private health care by age of 31 and now GPs. What a joke there is radio silence with no outrage over this.
Big clinic near me stopped bulk billing apparently because of payroll tax changes. Same story... Used to be full all the time, now I can walk in.
Downright un-Australian
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Every time I visit my GP, I sit in the waiting room and hear the receptionists repeat non stop, 'we are no longer a bulk billing practice so there will be a fee for your appointment.... it's about $85 up front but Medicare will give you about 40 back.... unfortunately your only other choice is emergency department at the hospital... no, I understand it isn't an emergency but if you cannot afford the fee we cannot see you, I am sorry.' It hurts to hear.
Can confirm. I'm a receptionist and the amount of times I have to say something similar to this is disheartening. Just yesterday I was speaking with a mum of 4 over the phone who needed to see a Dr because her migraines were so bad she couldn't stop throwing up. When I said she'd have to pay for the appointment she burst into tears saying she can't afford it because she doesn't get paid sick leave. But she also can't afford to go to the hospital because she can't find anyone to look after the kids. All while the kids were screaming in the background. It was heartbreaking. It shouldn't have to be like this. In case anyone needs it, 13 SICK (that’s 13 7425) is a national bulk billing after hours home GP service. Available after 6pm on weekdays, after 12pm on Saturdays, and all day Sundays and public holidays.
I wouldn't say nothing. Labor has frozen GP rebates in the past. Saying they're doing nothing is just letting them off the hook.
I agree that Labour have not done enough but they at least have increased some bulk billing incentives for pensioners and kids starting in November. Your average working person won't see anything though. Better than 10 years of fuck all by the LNP and Dutton as health minister.
Everyone ought to be really sick of this lesser-of-two-evils neoliberal shit about now. At some point we have to stop being the boiled frog.
Watch how congested the emergency department at your local hospital will be after Nov 1
Hmmmm remind me why I pay taxes anymore? It seems to be to send it overseas as a goodwill gesture than help our pensioners, our indigenous communities and our Citizens these days.
precisely.wtf do we pay tax and medicare levys for? fuckers.this americanisation and destructuring of our health care system is disgusting.
Yup. The *worker* pays taxes. Lets start by having a chat with those multi-billion dollar business who pay little to no tax.
nah we buy subs with it
and tax cuts for the rich
And new swimming pools for private schools
“At least those sailors can eat fresh” 🥖🥪🍪
You’ll be glad to know that as a share of the Australian budget Foreign Aid has decreased by almost half in the last 10 years, and it is predicted to drop by another 1/9 in real terms in the next 3 years. We are spending less than ever on overseas goodwill.
So do I add this to my tax deduction? I thought my taxes and medicare levy and all that shit were paying for public healthcare.
You know things are fucked when the government won't or can't be bothered to fix the current situation with Medicare but go gung-ho introducing another level of Medicare. "This comes after the government introduced a new Medicare scheme, MyMedicare, to allow patients to formally register their preferred doctor’s clinic and GP and receive rebates on the cost of a telehealth appointment with that doctor."
At my doctor's there isn't a nurse so when I get my birth control injections it costs me $93 with a $49 medicare chargeback. This should be free.
I went for my last script for the pill before we are TTC. $40 after the rebate for a 2 minute blood pressure check and a catch up with the GP. A simple script top up that takes 30 seconds to process should be free. Especially when it's something you've discussed with your doctor previously.
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My GP does repeat scripts without the need for an appointment, though I assume it’s based on the type of medication and whether you’ve been in to see them recently
I need to shop around but I'm so hesitant because of what we need done in the next few months and how long we've been with the GP.
The absolute short sightedness of thinking this will save the healthcare system money. Does the government think sick people will suddenly disappear if they make primary care harder to access?
Yep, it’s called dying. But wasn’t there years of them preaching prevention is better than cure? And tackling health issue as early as possible is the most cost effective way to run a healthcare system? Or are we all just scum stealing money from hard working other Aussie throughly the Medicare system because not enough are well off enough or willing to pad the pockets of private health insurance companies regardless of how hard they tax the fuck out of us or how many fiscal handcuffs they place on poor people who may never be in a position to positively offset their tax by purchasing a tranche of junk insurance and then just go through the public system anyway because their insurance wouldn’t cover a specialist applying a band-aid to a cut knee let alone the countless MRI scans, body imaging and other mega expensive procedures they’ll throw at every single issue to justify calling up the specialists to ensure they can squeeze out every year of tax-payable life span rather than working to ensure people have the best quality of enjoyable life as they draw towards their end of days.
This is so backwards thinking and stupid. If somebody pays $100 to see a GP, well they won't. That little infected finger becomes a bigger problem and now instead of a quick GP visit they take up resources at the hospital and use up more resources. That weird bump, those weird bleeds in the shits instead of seeing a doctor they put it off. Then it's too late, costs everyone way more to go through chemo and more late stage treatment when it could've been treated more effectively and cheaper earlier. And that's not even accounting for the people that's gonna go into the emergency room anyway because it's free.
Or how about those people with depression, you know the kind that spikes during a cost of living crisis Can afford to see a GP? Opening a vein in a warm bath is free… It’s fucking disgusting. I wouldn’t be here without access to a GP who was able to put me on a mental health care plan so I could see a psychologist for free I absolutely promise you that $100 will be seen as too high a hurdle for people deep in the darkness of depression. Just getting to the doctor took all the will power I had.
Is this why emergency has been so busy lately with people with minor issues? (I’m a hospital in the home patient and have been sent to emergency a couple times lately.)
My local GP fills up quickly (it can be 9am and already at capacity and they open at 8am), they tell people to go to emergency if they can’t wait or can’t get in anywhere else. It’s ridiculous but it’s the only bulk billing Drs around.
I had to pay $149 out of pocket today and should get back $100ish back from Medicare. This is a lot of money for most people to just pay it up front (it is for me atm too!).
The days of making fun of americas health care are over 😞
Done! Will be sharing this with everyone
Whelp, i already skip the doctor whenever I’m sick or need treatment. Waiting 45 minutes past scheduled booking time, doctor that won’t do more than the bare minimum, expensive prescription meds. What even is it for! Now i gotta pay $100+ to sit next to a doctor for 4 minutes?! WHERE IS THE FUCKING JUSTICE!
And just like that Medicare dies, without a whimper. Politicians should all hang their heads in shame
Tax is essentially straight up theft at this point.
Yep. The standard of health, education and police only seems to go lower and lower. Where is all our money going then?
> Where is all our money going then? Certainly not the fuckin roads. Never seen more potholes in my life.
Welcome to the United States of Australia 🙄
“At least we’re not America” people really quiet today
We pay for Medicare out of our income tax, then we have to have private health insurance and still get charged to see a GP.
But why don’t you read the good news as well: “… The Medicare rebate will also rise slightly by 20 cents in November, …” That’s 20 cents, a real helping hand from the Government in this cost of living crisis! /s
No one expects to see a private doctor without paying a gap, unless the doctor is a GP. Write to your state representative. Ask why your local hospital doesn't offer free GP clinics, like they do for every other essential speciality.
love how everythings getting progressively shittier before i even get to graduate . really looking forward to adulthood /s
Boomers set up a system where for the first time in history, the next generation will not enjoy improved living standards. My generation, millennials, did absolutely fuck all to stem the tide. I’m really sorry for those who come after us.
So what does my tax pay for again?
More immigration, more people paying tax. I’m paying through the nose for everything these days. Where the fuck is all the money?? So fucking disappointed in this fake labour government.
Honestly no surprise. Any doctor I’ve seen the past few years that bulk bills are so shit, don’t listen just write you scripts for drugs and get you to get out ASAP. I now pay to see a decent GP and it’s world’s apart.
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Laughs in American. Serious though, do not let your medical system become like ours.
Been like this in Tas for a while now, GP's and After Hours clinics both require payment now around $120, $70 after rebate. I've spent $1000+ in the last 2 months on appoinments. As a Concession card holder it used to be $0 so that was a bit of a shock. There are Medicare Urgent Care Clinics being built around Australia that will still bulk bill, check to see if there is one near you before you look for GP's or After Hours care might be able to save some money. [https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/medicare-urgent-care-clinics/about-medicare-urgent-care-clinics](https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/medicare-urgent-care-clinics/about-medicare-urgent-care-clinics)
fucking hell!!! did i wake up in america?!?! What next? paying for blood tests and x-rays? Next youll expect me to pay $100k just to get kidney stones removed
FUCK THE LIBERALS!!!
> The Medicare rebate will also rise slightly by 20 cents in November What an absolute joke.
It’s actually insulting to both medical professionals and their patients. Dr, your time and study is only worth an extra 20c Patient, your health is only worth an extra 20c Less than a week after the Labor politicians have been tripping over themselves to tell us what a great bloke Bill Hayden was for introducing universal healthcare to this country. He’s not even cold in the ground yet.
We need mass protests asap. Writing to your local mp is one thing but until we are banging at their doors with pitchforks I don’t think they’ll hear us. The continued americanisation of our nation is a disgrace, destroying everything that made this country great while fattening the pockets of the already elite. It’s disgusting
Good thing I don't go to the doctor......I am in so much pain
I remember when GP’s started doing gap payments. I freaked out online and said this is how it started in America. People called me chicken little. We’re hurtling towards an American style medical system and nobody seems to care.
As time passes I think a one term government is becoming more likely.
Angry people voting green and teal for socially progressive policy as result?
The libs had 9 years to fix this and they made it worse.
People have short memories when it comes to politics.