Full brunt of Medicare co-payment revealed

Full brunt of Medicare co-payment revealed. July 2014 - The Federal government's proposal to introduce co-payments for services provided by GPs, pathology and imaging providers, together with a proposed increase in co-payments for medications will mostly affect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with chronic conditions, a new University of Sydney study reveals. Published today, the study findings back concerns by medical and consumer groups that medical co-payments could deter vulnerable groups from seeking prompt medical care, and impair their ability to pay for services. "The introduction of co-payments won't be shared equally," says the report's co-author, Dr Clare Bayram. "It will particularly affect people who need to use more medical and related services, such as older people and those with chronic health conditions. "The proposed co-payments regime is likely to deter the most vulnerable in the community from seeking care due to higher costs that they would face." The new study findings are based on national data captured in the year to March 2014. The data are sourced from a continuous random survey of general practitioners' records of GP-patient encounters.