APGA at the RACGP Owners Conference
AGPA participated at the RACGP Practice Owners Conference in Adelaide 20-21 May 2023.
A big thanks to AGPA Directors Dr Craig Richards (NSW) and Dr Richard Barker (QLD) for two days of hard work at the AGPA stand.
Archive for month: May, 2023
AGPA At Practice Owners Conference- Stand 53
The AGPA will be present at the upcoming RACGP Practice Owners Conference 20 & 21 May 2023.
A number of Directors will be present so this will be a great opportunity to catch up and discuss the issues that are important to you as a Practice Owner and what the AGPA can do to help.
See you at Stand 53
Increased Bulk Billing Incentive Payments are a Welcome Initiative for Regional, Rural & Remote Australia
MEDIA RELEASE
9 May 2023
INCREASED BULK BILLING INCENTIVE PAYMENTS ARE A WELCOME INITIATIVE FOR REGIONAL, RURAL & REMOTE AUSTRALIA
The increased bulk billing incentive will be a major benefit for primary healthcare in regional, rural & remote Australia and will help retain and attract GPs into those areas. The benefits will be much lower for metro Australians.
A short consultation in remote Australia is now funded at $79.40, but a metro Australian is only worth $60.40. With metro fee rates already at over $90 the opportunity cost for a doctor to bulk bill in metro Australia is approximately $30.
The Australian GP Alliance is pleased that the Commonwealth Government is attempting to increase access to primary healthcare for vulnerable Australians and restructure support for chronic disease management. It is vital that any new scheme does not diminish access of care for the 50% of Australians living with a chronic disease.
The Commonwealth Government must work with States & Territories to stop taxing Commonwealth Medicare patient payments and all medical professional fees. Until this is done the good intent from this budget will be unsuccessful.
Health Minister’s Speech at Press Club
On 2 May the Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health gave an address at the Press Club in Canberra.
Some highlights from that address are are below:
Minister for Health and Aged Care – Speech – National Press Club – 2 May 2023
Media event date: 2 May 2023
Date published: 2 May 2023
Media type:Speech Audience: General public
Selected Comments – Full speech is available here
I’d like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands on which we stand, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people.
I offer my respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to any First Nations people joining us today.
………
Now it might seem strange to start a speech on the future of Medicare by talking about the past.
But to understand the future of Medicare, you have to go back to its beginning.
So cast your mind back – those of you old enough to remember – to 1984.
Bob Hawke is the Prime Minister and Medicare is in its first year.
The Ford Falcon is Australia’s bestselling car.
“Ghostbusters” is the pinnacle of movie special effects.
Fax machines are in every office.
And in the suburbs of Adelaide a teenager is praying that his mum will buy him a walkman for his 14th birthday.
Medicare was created to solve the health problems of 1984.
In those days … we were younger, on average, and tended not to live as long.
We smoked a lot: 40 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women were regular smokers.
Our health issues were more episodic and acute.
Back then, Medicare was a symbol of modernity.
But it didn’t have an easy birth.