The push to force doctors disclose their fees was in the spotlight again this week when the country’s health ministers met in Alice Springs.
Prior to the COAG Health Council’s meeting on 2 August, Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessey said she would use the occasion to call for prices to be made available to patients before their first appointment, telling the ABC the federal government “could not ignore the issue any longer”.
“Vulnerable patients who have no choice but to access treatment are not being given the information they deserve.”
Last year a Senate committee looking at the issue recommended making individual doctors publish their fees in a searchable database, however the AMA says this is easier said than done given the average specialist will bill 300 different Medicare items, and rebates from private health insurers add another layer of complexity.
At the COAG meeting ministers heard that an investigation by a ministerial advisory committee into out-of-pocket medical costs – and specific options to increase transparency – was close to being finalised, which would enable ministers to agree to “decisive actions”.