Overview
Rebecca de Boer
and Amanda Biggs
Most responses to the health measures in the Budget have tended
to focus on the proposed changes to the Private Health Insurance
Rebate and the Medicare Safety Net. As well, nurses and midwives
have been hailed as the ‘winners’ with the extension of
prescribing rights and access to Medicare and the Pharmaceutical
Benefits Scheme (PBS). Other notable measures include some savings
to the PBS, more money for rural workforce, a relatively small
amount of additional money for aged care and significant
expenditure on the national cancer statement.
Some commentators have highlighted what they argue is the
piece-meal approach of this budget.[1] Perhaps the most obvious underlying theme of the
Budget is ‘savings’: many of the measures are
intended to ‘reduce inefficiencies’ or remove
duplication of effort. This may be a worthy task and may also be
viewed as an interim step while the Government moves towards
developing a clearer direction for health policy reform (for
example, following the final report of the National Health and
Hospitals Reform Commission).
[1].
See L Russell, ‘Missed chance to fund change’,
Canberra Times, 15 May 2009, viewed 19 May 2009,
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22media%2Fpressclp%2F4FKT6%22