The pandemic has taken a shocking toll on our mental health. And yet, the government may soon cut rebates which allow patients to get the help they need. | OPINION by Marjorie Collins
in Australia was undertaken by the Productivity Commission. Two of their recommendations were to address healthcare gaps in community settings and consider increasing the number of Medicare rebated psychological services.health care is to permanently increase the number of Medicare sessions for psychology services.number of sessions rebated under Medicare: at 10 per year. During the pandemic the federalcomplete treatments.
Research has found that the number of psychology treatment sessions is directly associated with the degree to which symptoms reduce. In one study, the treatment effect was small for patients with depression who had 12 or fewer sessions, and significantly larger for patients given 18 or more sessions.
For the wellbeing and productivity of our community, based upon research outcomes for psychology treatment, the Institute of Clinical Psychologists recommend a permanent increase in the number of Medicare rebated sessions available for psychology, with 10-12 rebated sessions per annum for mild mental ill-health; up to 20 sessions for moderate mental ill-health; and up to 40 rebated sessions per annum for those with severe mental ill-health which can be delivered by clinical psychologists .
once they reach the 10-session limit. These are the most vulnerable members of our community, and government should not turn their back on them. Certainty and an appropriate therapeutic dose of psychology sessions is essential to properly remediate mental health conditions. Permanently increasing the number of Medicare rebated psychology sessions is a simple and cost-effective way to long-term better health outcomes, increased engagement in families and communities, and increased productivity for our nation, all of which is deliverable through the private sector and does not involve additional cost of healthcare in the public sector.
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