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
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