The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) is urging the returned Labor government to seize the first 100 days of its second term to make healthcare more affordable, accessible, and consumer-focused.
Australians on the weekend have clearly voted for reform and investment into healthcare. As Australians grapple with the rising cost of living, long wait times, and a complex health system, CHF stresses that urgent action is needed to ensure people can afford the care they require, when and how they need it.
The government was re-elected on a promise of healthcare reform and investment. Now we want to see these promises delivered. Importantly the voices and needs of healthcare consumers must be involved as the government’s election promises are rolled out,” Consumers Health Forum CEO Dr Elizabeth Deveny said.
CHF is calling on the Albanese Government to prioritise:
“People want care they can both afford and access. Access is just as important as cost, and for those in rural and regional areas, it can be the bigger challenge,” Dr Deveny said.
CHF is also urging the federal government to work closely with consumers when delivering these reforms.
“We’re not calling for another round of consultation. We’re asking for shared responsibility – reform that includes the voices of those who use and pay for the system. These voices should be heard clearly,” Dr Deveny said.
“The next 100 days are a real opportunity. That means working together, across government, clinical and industry groups, departments, communities and trusted peaks like CHF, to reshape a system that better reflects what matters most to the people it’s meant to serve.”
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As late as the 1940's people in the UK were having all their teeth removed as wedding or birthday gifts because of expensive dental charges- before the NHS.
I personally paid recently:
$84.00 - oral examination
$198.00 - removal, of calculus
$46.00 - topical application - ( fluoride or something.)
Next day something described as adhesive restoration. A very small filling: $ 464 .00.
How many people can afford this?
The Greens are right. The Labor party should address dental care as part of this green and gold card Albanese has waxed lyrcal about !
Dental has always been a second cousin when it comes to health care, which frightens me regarding the lack and ignorance shown by many Ministers who have never made this a priority!
Dental issues are the major cause of many problems including tooth decay, gum disease, oral infections, and even systemic health issues.
Those other systemic issues happen to be Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, Respiratory Diseases, Dementia as well as other issues.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475
I had an abscess emerge last year and post finding what I thought was help, I was left waiting for three hours for some help, given no pain relief and finally had the dentist tell me that I had an abscess and that I had to go to the hospital for treatment, which I did.
Many, many hours later, with the abscess getting larger as time went on, I finally had treatment at the Emergency Department only to face being detained overnight, nope went home however had to return the next morning for a complete check-up, which staff were amazed how well I responded to treatment.
Ten days later had the extraction and that cost me $35.00; the post treatment drugs were $7.50 and the taxi back to the house was $35.00 and yes, I'm an OAP with a fixed income, so any of these 'emergencies' do blow a hole in your budget.
The health system is very elitist and arrogant I'm afraid when it comes to people who do need assistance, not everyone on the lower socio-economic strata is uneducated.
Agree, Medicare dental coverage should be a priority. Dental caries is the most common non-communicable chronic disease, so why doesn’t the govt fix it already?
The need for dental repair is one offshoot of a business model that seems to offer the public (some) food designed to injure, not help. Another offshoot is diabetes.
The recent ‘Minamata Convention on Mercury’ (2013) has put the business model of ignoring dental health in jeopardy. One part of the plan is to phase out a known neuro-toxin, mercury, UN Environmental Program:
https://www.unep.org/globalmercurypartnership/resources/other/minamata-convention-topic-dental-amalgam
There is also a plan to transition from dental repairs to prevention. Dental caries seems to mainly relate to excessive ‘free sugars’ in highly processed foods and govt-sanctioned dodgy standards dictated by their boss, the sugar lobbyists.
Addressing the elephant in the dental room - sugar. One possible solution - clearer public education plus govt mandating that supermarkets provide a health section of natural food that is cheaper than junk food. If the govt has to subsidize that, so what? Costly real food is what drives a lot of junk intake.
The other elephant in the room, or is that pharmacy, is Codex Alimentarius.
CA seems to be driven by sadists. It relates to legislating out of existence our heritage of naturally occurring nutrients & vitamins (products of natural origin cannot be patented). If anyone wants to see the outcome of decades of low levels of minerals, nutrients and vitamins in diet, check out a 3rd world country. Not only do people look weaker than they did 30 years ago, but so too animals.
My recommendation: fix ‘free sugar’ levels and forget quick fixes, plus free dental.