HEALTH
foreword Hon Mark Butler
Minister for Health and Aged Care The Albanese Government continues to take steps to improve the lives of older Australians and this month we have taken a huge leap forward. On 1 November, we tripled the incentive that general practitioners receive to bulk bill children under 16, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession cardholders. This is the largest investment in bulk billing in the 40-year history of Medicare. This will make it easier to find a bulk billing doctor for around 5 million children and their families and 7 million pensioners and other concession cardholders. Doctors’ groups have called this a ‘game-changer’ and GPs right around the country have said this will help them maintain and even shift back to bulk billing. In our major cities, a doctor will get 34% more for a standard bulk billed consultation of under 20 minutes. In regional and rural Australia, a doctor will get around 50% more for the same visit. Bulk billing is the beating heart of Medicare and the Albanese Government will continue to strengthen it. This month we also released the landmark Australian Cancer Plan, aiming to improve prevention, screening, treatment, and management of all cancers for all people in Australia regardless of their background or where they live.
Our commitment to the health and wellbeing of older Australians continues, with the largest investment in bulk billing in the 40-year history of Medicare, the release of the landmark Australian Cancer Plan, and new protections against shingles.
The Plan has been developed by Cancer Australia, in consultation with the states and territories, First Nations communities, clinicians, researchers, people affected by cancer and support organisations. The Plan covers all cancer types, across the whole cancer journey, from prevention and early detection to treatment, recovery and end of life care. While cancer outcomes in this country are generally among the best in the world, that’s not true for some people, simply because of who they are or where they live. Our Australian Cancer Plan responds to patients’ concerns that the health system is hard to navigate and will ensure no one falls through the gaps. We’re also investing over $800 million to provide nearly 5 million Australians with the best protection against shingles. Everyone aged 65 years and older, First Nations people aged 50 years and older, and people with specific medical conditions can get a free shingles vaccine to protect themselves from this debilitating virus. This will be one of the most comprehensive and widely available shingles vaccination programs in the world. Two doses of the vaccine dramatically reduces your risk, and provides around 10 years of protection. It usually costs up to $560 but for almost 5 million people, we’re making it free. Almost everyone knows someone who has had shingles and the debilitating pain that shingles and its complications can cause. It’s particularly frustrating to see people suffering when it is something we can prevent. These three measures are just some of the ways that the Albanese Government is making healthcare more accessible and affordable, including for older Australians.
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