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22nd June 2011, 07:24
FYI:
The nation's leading obstetricians' body has warned the Federal Government that thousands of Australia's expectant mothers are abandoning the private hospital system because of out-of-pocket costs.
The number of women giving birth in some private hospitals had fallen by up to a quarter since the Government capped Medicare Safety Net payments for obstetrics services, newly elected National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Andrew Foote told The Canberra Times yesterday.
The Canberra-based specialist said bookings for births at one local private hospital had fallen by 23per cent since the Medicare changes were implemented last year.
''People who have private insurance are choosing not to use their insurance and to go through to the public system which just seems a policy disaster to me,'' he said.
Dr Foote said Medicare rebates should be lifted to cover the $2000 average out-of-pocket cost for private births to help ease pressure on the public system.
''That would be sustainable and it would take the pressure off the public system,'' he said.
The out-of-pocket costs were a result of increases in medical indemnity insurance.
Dr Foote also claimed that private maternity units generally delivered better outcomes for mothers and babies, because of the often limited role played by senior obstetricians during the early stages of treatment in the public system.
''The public system is definitely safe but the private system is safer,'' Dr Foote said.
''The babies ending up in the [special care] nursery rate are roughly doubled when you compare public and private and bad tearing is roughly doubled and bad haemorrhage is roughly doubled with that model of care.'' ACT Chief Minister and Health Minister Katy Gallagher said there had been a 2per cent increase in births at Canberra's public hospitals this financial year and statistics did not suggest that safety net increases has caused oversubscription to the public maternity service.
source
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/warning-as-new-mums-go-public/2202769.aspx
The nation's leading obstetricians' body has warned the Federal Government that thousands of Australia's expectant mothers are abandoning the private hospital system because of out-of-pocket costs.
The number of women giving birth in some private hospitals had fallen by up to a quarter since the Government capped Medicare Safety Net payments for obstetrics services, newly elected National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Andrew Foote told The Canberra Times yesterday.
The Canberra-based specialist said bookings for births at one local private hospital had fallen by 23per cent since the Medicare changes were implemented last year.
''People who have private insurance are choosing not to use their insurance and to go through to the public system which just seems a policy disaster to me,'' he said.
Dr Foote said Medicare rebates should be lifted to cover the $2000 average out-of-pocket cost for private births to help ease pressure on the public system.
''That would be sustainable and it would take the pressure off the public system,'' he said.
The out-of-pocket costs were a result of increases in medical indemnity insurance.
Dr Foote also claimed that private maternity units generally delivered better outcomes for mothers and babies, because of the often limited role played by senior obstetricians during the early stages of treatment in the public system.
''The public system is definitely safe but the private system is safer,'' Dr Foote said.
''The babies ending up in the [special care] nursery rate are roughly doubled when you compare public and private and bad tearing is roughly doubled and bad haemorrhage is roughly doubled with that model of care.'' ACT Chief Minister and Health Minister Katy Gallagher said there had been a 2per cent increase in births at Canberra's public hospitals this financial year and statistics did not suggest that safety net increases has caused oversubscription to the public maternity service.
source
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/warning-as-new-mums-go-public/2202769.aspx