Professor Phelps, a GP and the former head of the Australian Medical Association, said that while there is talk that the Australian National Preventive Health Agency will be axed, prevention is a crucial pillar of the health budget.
“With a growing ageing population, we have to focus on prevention,” she said.
The health budget is pegged for a shake-up in the Abbott Government’s first budget following recommendations for widespread changes from the Commission of Audit.
Beside the consolidation of health care agencies, possible changes include the introduction of a $6 co-payment for bulk-billed GP visits and the introduction of private health insurance to cover GP visits.
Not only do general practitioners play a critical role in preventative health, Professor Phelps says that exposing GP consultations to the “prying eyes of private insurance companies” poses a threat to the level of care people will receive.
“Health insurance companies might start to dictate your care, asking questions about what happened in the consultation.”
She said that Medicare must remain “the sole insurer of GP consultations.”
Hours before Treasurer Joe Hockey delivers his first federal budget speech, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has warned that his government’s budget will be tougher than the Howard government’s 1996 budget.
The budget will contain “more structural reform than any budget, including the ’96 budget”, Abbott reportedly told a meeting of Liberal and National Party MPs.
“The public will respect us for this budget even if there’s parts of it they don’t like.”
The budget is also expected to contain far-reaching cutbacks to welfare and the public service with 16,000 jobs reported to be threatened.
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