BUDGET 2024 🗞️ Federal Budget Fails to Ease Healthcare Costs: RACGP

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Audio clip from Treasure Minister Jim Chalmers ⬆️

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners says the Federal Budget won't help the cost-of-living crisis or help Australians afford essential healthcare. Dr. Nicole Higgins, RACGP President, said the government has failed to strengthen Medicare and lower patient out-of-pocket costs. “GPs, practice teams, and patients are disappointed by this budget, which has failed Australians struggling to afford essential healthcare. Last year, the government began fixing decades of Medicare and general practice underfunding, but now it will stall. Australians are delaying essential care due to rising costs. This Budget will not help, so out-of-pocket costs will rise. It will make the nation sicker and strain hospitals, costing the government more. There is no more support for rural and regional patients or chronically ill people, who need it most. It shows the government's health system fix priorities are wrong. Australians will be disappointed that Treasurer Jim Chalmers hasn't considered increasing Medicare rebates to reduce cost-of-living. The Medicare rebate is the government's healthcare subsidy for patients.This Budget says the government doesn't care about ensuring Australian healthcare subsidies match real-world costs. “Nothing beats quality care from a GP who knows your history. General practice keeps people healthy and out of the hospital. To provide affordable care, increasing Medicare rebates is the smartest and most cost-effective health investment the government can make. “The lack of support for GP training is disappointing and short-sighted. GP care is in demand due to Australia's ageing population and chronic disease and mental illness epidemic. The GP speciality is chosen by 10.5% of medical students.This Budget does not address the current trend, worsening the workforce shortage. “Over 300 rural generalists and 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees are trained by the RACGP, which trains 90% of Australian GPs. The College has filled 114 training spots in long-lasting GP registrar shortage areas in the past year. Growing these numbers and training more GPs in communities requires government funding.

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Urgent care clinics are poor value. They waste scarce health resources and take years to implement. These changes will disrupt patient care and divert GPs from their regular practices, worsening the workforce shortage. The Budget also funds Single Employer Model pilots until 2028. SEMs can help communities meet workforce needs, according to the RACGP. A thorough independent evaluation is needed before any further rollout to determine what works and what doesn't. The College welcomes the $90 million funding to implement the independent Kruk review of Australia's overseas health practitioner regulations. How to do this is still being negotiated. International medical graduates benefit Australia's health system, but we need more funding for GP training.

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