Here we fuckin go again. Lieberals wanting to hand a lucrative business guaranteed of not failing (being Medicare), to their corporate mates. Another item from the Commission of Audit wish list.
It all sounds so innocent doesn't it. Just the transactions and eligibility criteria or something. But what does that mean for our private medical records? They will be handed to a private corporation.
As someone who worked for many years in a large private company which took on a large number of contracts that required security and secrecy (many of them gov contracts) I can say that leaks do occur. Just because employees sign a confidentiality agreement upon being hired doesn't mean they wont aggrandise themselves on occasion to friends and acquaintances.
Do we really want our medical records in such an environment as that?
But mostly, if we want to modernise and be "innovative" with the Medicare payment system, what's stopping the gov from doing that? Why do we have to have some corporate body doing it for us? Why can't the gov simply fund it themselves.
The West Australian reported on Tuesday that the outsourcing plan – to be included in the May budget – would see private companies administer claims and payments while also overseeing eligibility criteria. The move, which came from a recommendation of the Commission of Audit, would likely lead to public service job losses.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed the department was looking at changes to the payment system on Tuesday.
"All honourable members here are using their smartphones to transact business online and yet Medicare has still not kept pace with that," Mr Turnbull said.
"That is why the Department of Health is investigating ways, as the minister said today, to digitise its transaction technology for payments to what it describes as a more consumer-friendly format, a modern contemporary format," he said.
Labor jumped on the reports as the Opposition looks to campaign on Coalition cuts to health and education.
"My message to Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals is – hands off Medicare," Labor leader Bill Shorten said.
"Here they go again, the Liberal government for 40 years has fought national health insurance. In their DNA they are anti-Medicare being the universal health provider.
"You can't trust Malcolm Turnbull and his Liberals not to create a two-tier health system in this country," Mr Shorten said. Australian Financial Review
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