Co-payments for health care: what is their real cost?
Tracey-Lea Laba A B F , Tim Usherwood C D , Stephen Leeder D , Farhat Yusuf D E , James Gillespie D , Vlado Perkovic A , Andrew Wilson D , Stephen Jan A D and Beverley Essue A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A The George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, PO Box M201, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. Email: vperkovic@georgeinstitute.org.au; sjan@georgeinstitute.org.au
B Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Pharmacy and Bank Building (A15) Camperdown Campus, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW, 2006, Australia.
C Sydney Medical School (Westmead), University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. Email: tim.usherwood@sydney.edu.au
D The Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. Email: stephen.leeder@sydney.edu.au; farhat.yusuf@sydney.edu.au; james.gillespie@sydney.edu.au; a.wilson@sydney.edu.au; beverley.essue@sydney.edu.au
E Department of Marketing and Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: tlaba@georgeinstitute.org.au
Australian Health Review 39(1) 33-36 https://doi.org/10.1071/AH14087
Submitted: 3 June 2014 Accepted: 2 September 2014 Published: 3 November 2014
Journal Compilation © AHHA 2015
Abstract
Based on the premise that current trends in healthcare spending are unsustainable, the Australian Government has proposed in the recent Budget the introduction of a compulsory $7 co-payment to visit a General Practitioner (GP), alongside increased medication copayments. This paper is based on a recent submission to the Senate Inquiry into the impact of out-of-pocket costs in Australia. It is based on a growing body of evidence highlighting the substantial economic burden faced by individuals and families as a result of out-of-pocket costs for health care and their flow-on effects on healthcare access, outcomes and long-term healthcare costs. It is argued that a compulsory minimum co-payment for GP consultations will exacerbate these burdens and significantly undermine the tenets of universal access in Medicare. Alternative recommendations are provided that may help harness unsustainable health spending while promoting an equitable and fair health system.
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