Garnering community feedback on the effects of the Medicare rebate freeze was the mission of four federal Labor Party MPs during a visit to Bega on Friday.
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Member for Eden-Monaro Mike Kelly was joined by Member for Newcastle and former Tulgeen Disability Services worker Sharon Claydon, paediatrician and Member for Macarthur Mike Freelander and Member for Herbert Cathy O’Toole to look into local health issues.
Dubbed the Medicare Taskforce, Dr Kelly said the House of Representatives Standing committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport members are hoping their findings can be fed into party policy for the next election.
Ms Claydon said the Bega Valley currently has the second lowest bulk billing rate in NSW and sits in the lowest band nationally.
“That means issues of affordability and access to quality healthcare are real issues here,” she said.
Bega pharmacist John Plevey said he was pleased the taskforce had taken an interest in the current state of his profession.
Dr Freelander told a consumer discussion in Bega pharmacists are performing many tasks once done by a patient’s GP and the affordability of prescriptions are becoming an issue.
He said there is some evidence the freeze has lead to many people avoiding their doctors.
“A lot of people are scared to go to the GP because of the cost,” Dr Freelander said.
“What we are doing is forcing people into more expensive care later on, rather than cheaper primary care.
“They [doctors] are expected to do more and more with less and less.”
One Door Mental health area leader for South East NSW Lisa Gibb told the taskforce the mental health sector is in a “state of flux due to the NDIS” and many people are struggling after being disqualified from receiving a disability support pension.
“Most people we see are being knocked back at the start,” she said.
“Often there’s massive waits and a GP can only do what they can afford to do.
“It’s a terrifying reality we are facing, and it’s fair to say mental health has been retrofitted into [the NDIS].”
The Bega Valley is just one of many regions across Australia the committee members will visit in order to gauge the current climate for pharmacists, doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, mental health workers and the wider public.
