Budget health nasties for seniors revealed
More than $1 billion in health and aged care expenditure cuts have been made in the budget, as well as the big ticket savings on the private health insurance rebate and safety net cuts, which will adversely affect seniors.
These include:
- $80.9 million end to the Australian Better Health Initiative on health risk factors including chronic disease and self-management;
- $40 million applying income test to residential aged care from day one instead of waiting 28 days;
- $37.9 million cut to Better Health Initiative on promoting healthy lifestyles;
- $33.9 million cut by lowering hearing loss threshold for subsidised hearing aids;
- $25.8 million end to program providing technology aids and devices in community and aged care; and
- Unspecified saving changing Continence Support Payment, to make direct financial payment to people with severe and permanent incontinence, instead of current arrangements which provide access to subsidised products from one provider.
The changes to the Medicare Safety Net will also affect seniors requiring varicose vein treatment. These are the 11th most expensive treatments under the Medicare Safety Net, but specialists say this is because they use a new ultrasound sclerotherapy technique which can treat larger veins without hospitalisation.
An ageing population and the failure to provide a new benefits number to cover the new technique has led to the rise in use – 57,990 services annually – and costs of $6 million in 2007.
The Medicare changes will also affect cataract surgery and eye injections.
