Australian Pathology is lobbying the federal government for more funding amid increasing demands on the sector. What will the cost to patients be?
If you've looked around the waiting room of your local GP clinic recently you may have noticed posters urging you to email your MP to "keep pathology bulk billed".
The sector has been plagued by a long history of government funding freezes, but data shows more than 99 per cent of out-of-hospital tests are still bulk billed. "Technological advances are continuing to drive down the cost of providing and operating many pathology services," Health Minister Mark Butler said.Australian Pathology CEO Liesel Wett said a lot of pathology was resource intensive and required qualified scientists to do analysis, especially in the field of microbiology.SuppliedDean Whiting is the CEO of Pathology Technology Australia which represents manufacturers of the technology used in labs.
In 2016 a "Don't Kill Bulk Bill" blitz was launched after the then-government scrapped bulk billing incentives and companies said they would be forced to charge co-payments of between $20 to $50. "We're six months up to an election, but I think the government needs to stand firm and say, 'we gave you a down payment but we're sick of you holding patients to ransom'."
"It would be different if there were billions of dollars in profit being made each year, but there's not," they said.
Blood Test Medicare Healthcare Bulk Billing Rebates
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