The latest from Better Access Australia

Private Health News

Election 2022: Six Health and Disability Services Scheme Reforms

27 April 2022

Better Access Australia has written to all parties and independent candidates seeking commitments to six reforms and actions of our health and disability services schemes.

 As a not for profit focused on system level reform, we are focused on the gaps in access and gaps in affordability of our system and delivering reforms that help patients, consumers, government and industry.

1.      #MindtheGap in Newborn Screening
with a nationally funded newborn screening program for 80 rare diseases

2.      #MindtheGap in keeping healthcare affordable for patients
with a mid-tier PBS co-pay of $20 and freeze indexation increases for five years

3.      #MindtheGap in time to health technology access
with a #100day from TGA registration to subsidised system access KPI

4.      #MindtheGap in the affordability of private healthcare
with a review that addresses consumer needs and out of pocket costs

5.      #MindtheGap in government mandated discrimination
by ensuring all PBS medicines are protected by co-pays and safety net

6.      #MindtheGap in access between health, NDIS and employment support
by improving assessment processes and equality of access

Read the quick link (the two-pager) to our six asks, and if you want more detail on why these reforms are needed and how they can delivered click here.

We will publish a ready reckoner of the responses and commitments of all parties and individuals in response to our requests to keep our work transparent and the community informed.

Newborn screening is already a federal election commitment from the Labor party, and PBS Co-payment reforms have been committed to by the Coalition, with Labor announcing there will be policy reforms in this area too.

Read our letter to Mr Adam Bandt and Senator Steele-John of the Australia Greens here.

Read our letter to the Independents here.

Read our letter to The Hon Mark Butler, Shadow Minister for Health and Aging here.

A BUDGET THAT PRIORITISES EQUALITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF ACCESS TO OUR HEALTH SYSTEM CAN DELIVER BETTER ACCESS, AUSTRALIA

March 27, 2022

As the federal budget looms, the need for a focus on improving equality of access to health services in Australia remains critical. Individual treatment subsidies are always welcomed but the systemic shortcomings must be addressed now if we are to end the increasing tension of a system of those who have access and those who do not.

Budget 2022-23 is a chance to redefine and future-proof the system, not merely work around. Action is needed this Budget because right now:

  • PBS co-payments are tracking towards $50 per script outpacing the cost of living;

  • Australia’s babies are some of the least protected in the world for early screening and diagnosis of rare diseases;

  • Patients managing opioid addiction are being financially discriminated against by the government despite the protections of the law;

  • Average wait times for access to subsidised medicines are over 820 days and growing; and

  • Patients are being forced to accept huge out of pocket costs in their access to specialists for primary healthcare, none of which is covered by their private health insurance.

This week’s budget needs to:

  1. Introduce a mid-tier co-payment for the PBS based on Family Tax Benefit A, recognising the challenges for individuals, couples and families earning less than $136,000 and freezing indexation growth for 5 years

  2. Introduce an expanded and nationally consistent newborn bloodspot screening program following a once-off catch up review, with the new program rolled out by 1 July 2023 based on the funding model for the National Immunisation Program

  3. End the government’s requirement for pharmacies to charge out of pocket fees for access to medicines for managing opioid addiction and bring their distribution and subsidy into line with all other PBS medicines by 1 July 2022

  4. Establish a #100days from medicine and device registration to subsidy target in Australia to improve access to all therapeutics irrespective of indication or patient population with program administration and contracting based on this new standard

  5. Reduce out of pocket costs for patients obliged to see specialists on an annual basis to maintain access to ongoing PBS medicines used in the primary care setting

  6. Conduct a consumer-need analysis of private health in Australia recognising the interaction between the public and private health systems and the increasing use of private healthcare outside the hospital setting with no insurance coverage.

Full details in press release here.

PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE MODEL STUCK IN THE 20TH CENTURY
BAA CALLS FOR A RETHINK TO REFLECT REALITY OF TODAY’S SYSTEM

February 03, 2022

Better Access Australia (BAA) is calling on the federal government to #MindTheGap in the affordability of healthcare as part of its 2022-23 Budget.

One of the six measures BAA have asked for in its 2022-23 Pre-Budget Submission focusses on Australia's outdated private health insurance (PHI) model.

BAA is calling on the Government to conduct a consumer-needs analysis of PHI that sets aside current regulatory limitations as the basis for the consultation to facilitate co-design of a better integrated public and private health system for consumers and the affordability of healthcare for the community, insurers and governments.

“COVID-19 has shown that Australia’s health system relies heavily on the use of the private health system as well as the public health system to ensure timely and affordable access to diagnostics and treatment when patients need it”, Better Access Australia Director David Mackay said.

The scope of PHI has not been extending to the primary care setting, so the gap between what the 13.6M self-insured Australians are covered for, versus the out-of-pocket health costs they are continually having to meet is increasing year-on-year.

“The time for a genuine discussion on the need to change what PHI covers to support the delivery of Australia’s ‘universal health system’ is now”.

Full media release available here.

BETTER ACCESS AUSTRALIA’S PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION
CALLING FOR GOVERNMENT TO #MINDTHEGAP FOR AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY

January 31, 2022

Calling for six areas to #MindTheGap, our submission to the government asks for:

1) A national Newborn Bloodspot Screening program to match international best practice of up to 80 diseases.

2) End the government-mandated discrimination by making all medicines that treat opioid dependence, a recognised disability, subject to the PBS co-payment and safety-net provisions as afforded to every other medicine on the PBS.

3) Daily medicine access to be made affordable for families once again by reducing the general PBS co-payment from $42.50 to $20 per script.

4) End the 820-day average wait by making a 100 day policy from TGA approval to subsidised access for medicines and medical devices.

5) End the costs to patients and costs to government of unnecessary annual referrals to specialists for long-term treatment of a chronic disease.

6) Change the emphasis of Private Health Reform to better capture the consumer interest in health coverage expectations rather than an exclusive debate between government and insurers on cost of devices and annual price increases.

These proposals are a combination of targeted reforms for some of the most vulnerable in our community as well as system-wide reforms to benefit the entire population.

Better Access Australia’s 2022-2023 Pre-Budget Submission is available to read here.

THE DEVIL IS ALWAYS IN THE DETAIL AND BUDGET 2021-22 IS NO DIFFERENT WITH MANY GAPS REMAINING

11 May 2021

Better Access Australia notes that the 2021-22 Budget makes some significant funding investments in health but continues to fail some of the most vulnerable in the community.  

We need to #mindthegap in equality of access to our health system. 

The devil is always in the detail.

A copy of the media release can be accessed here.

NEW DRUGS AND NOVEL MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES INQUIRY

9 November 2020

Better Access Australia has provided a submission to the “Inquiry into the approval processes for new drugs and novel medical technologies in Australia, with a particular focus on those for the treatment of rare diseases and conditions where there is high unmet clinical need.

Better Access Australia argues:

“Rare disease or chronic disease, people are waiting too long - we need a system led apporach to reform, not a disease led approach to reform. All patients are equal in their need for access.”  

Read Better Access Australia’s submission here.