Posted by Michael Wonder on 20 Mar 2017
Doctors call for Medicare authority as government looks to lift rebate
20 March 2017 - Doctors will increase their presence in Canberra amid a heightened political debate over Medicare and the rebate freeze, calling for the establishment of a new body to review public healthcare services to cut down on waste and potentially deliver the government much-needed savings.
Expectations the government will lift the Medicare rebate in the May budget are rising as Health Minister Greg Hunt negotiates with the medical profession to deliver what he says will be a “positive outcome” for the sector.
Launching a new office at the National Press Club, within walking distance to Parliament House, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners hit out at the “unfair and nonsensical” rebate freeze, which it actively campaigned against in the lead up to last year’s election in a series of TV advertisements.
