Better Access to Adult Immunisation

The National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-30 noted that “[m]oving forward, immunisation will need to evolve from a focus on infants and children to vaccinating along the life course – including the need for improved data amongst these cohorts.”

COVID-19 demonstrated the importance of adult vaccinations. The current NIP 2025-30 Strategy review provides the opportunity to set new policy for adult immunisation in Australia. The recent expansion of the shingles vaccine subsidy to include anyone “18 years and over considered at increased risk of herpes zoster due to an underlying condition and/or immunosuppressive treatments”, shows us what is possible. With increased whoopping cough and RSV in the community in 2024, a robust discussion on not only new vaccines but funded access to booster shots is essential

Newborn Screening

On 6 April 2022 Prime Minister Albanese promised to end the postcode lottery and ensure Australia was once again a world leader in newborn bloodspot screening covering at least 80 diseases as per the US.

Four years on and not one new disease has been added nationally to the program.

IT IS THE ULTIMATE IN BROKEN ELECTION PROMISES.

Five babies each day are missing out on a life saving and life changing diagnosis. Now is the time to hold the Government to account and deliver what they promised - lets make this an MBS item and end this tragic loss of life or risk of permanent preventable disability.

See 2026-27 Budget Submission for more details.

Since 2020 BAA has been asking for a KPI that makes all diagnostics, medicines and devices available for public subsidy or private health insurance on the Prescribed List. #100days.

Today patients are still waiting over 700 days for access to a medicine on the PBS and even longer for a diagnostic or device on the MBS.

With the Government and industry about to negotiate new strategic agreements, patients need to demand a seat at the table to make patient access not medicine pricing the priority for the PBS.

BAA and other patient groups will be writing to the Minister asking for that seat at the table. See our Patients First PBS Project for more details.

Aged Care Support at Home

The Government committed to no one being worse off under the move from the Home Care Package (HCP) program to the Support at Home (SAH) program.

But in the transition to the new arrangements older Australians have had their access to Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) and Dose Administration Aids (DAAs) removed.

Exclusion of the access to these products from the SAH program is wrong and questionable under law

Under the old HCP program older Australians could claim the cost of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and dose administration aids (DAA) where that care support was not funded through other programs. Flexible budgets and bundled care optimised support for remaining in the home.

But under the new SAH arrangements the Government has taken the opportunity to restrict access to these products through its new operational guidelines.

See our Aged Care Support at Home Program project for more details.

Disability Services

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a once in a generation reform. But its costs are unsustainable.

In order to realise its full potential for people with disabilities and ensure the programs sustainability, ongoing reform and policy advocacy is required.

BAA supports co-payments and means testing to make the system accessible to more people and conditions but recognising that not everyone needs the same level of subsidy. We encourage safety nets and prioritisation of services that can be claimed under the program to ensure we help all that need support under the program.

See 2026-27 Budget Submission for more details.

Private Healthcare

Better Access Australia acknowledges the intrinsic role that private healthcare plays in the Australian system.

We have a 1970s PHI system that fails to recognise that the majority of families have massive out of pocket costs in the primary care sector. Specialist care is mostly accessed outside of hospital and yet families cannot access insurance to protect against these massive out of pocket costs in a cost of living crisis. Models for mental healthcare show what is possible. Time to see PHI as an essential part of our healthcare.

When our pets can get better insurance than we can - there’s something wrong in Australia

See 2026-27 Budget Submission for more details.