AMA Says MRFF Link to GP Co-payment is a 'Poisoned Chalice'

By Petrina Smith
Thursday, 30 October, 2014

AMA President, A/Prof Brian Owler, says the Government has handed Australia’s medical research sector a ‘poisoned chalice’ by making the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) dependant on GP co-payments..

A/Prof Owler said the AMA supports the concept of the MRFF, but strongly opposes the link to funding from the proposed GP co-payment and the $5 cut to the Medicare patient rebate as a funding source.

“To establish the MRFF, the Government introduced Budget cuts that affect general practice, pathology, and radiology services; hospital funding, GP training, and preventive health programs,” A/Prof Owler said.

“If the Government was truly sincere in its commitment to medical research, it would provide a fairer, untainted way to finance the Fund.

“It is appalling that a Fund designed to cure diseases and save lives in the future must rely on the chronically ill, the elderly, the poor, and Indigenous Australians paying more for their vital health services today.”

A/Prof Owler said the AMA is calling on health and medical researchers to reject the Government’s attempts to turn them into lobbyists for the MRFF while the Fund remains linked to the Budget cuts to important health services.

“The medical research community should instead lobby the Government to de-link the Fund from the co-payments and Medicare rebate cuts,” A/Prof Owler said.

“The MRFF will help people in the future, but the Budget cuts will adversely affect the health of many needy Australians today.

“If people put off seeing their GP because of increased costs due to the Budget cuts, their conditions could worsen, which would increase the pressure on already overstretched public hospitals.

“It is bad policy. And it comes on top of the Government cutting funding to other areas of research and science, and doing away with a Science Minister.

“The Government must find another way to fund the MRFF, and we encourage Australia’s medical researchers to reject a funding mechanism that hurts the most vulnerable Australians.”