If you've noticed you've had to hand over more money when you've been referred to a specialist you're not alone. Medicare only covers about half of specialist fees a record low which is prompting some experts to declare Medicare rebates have become almost meaningless.
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00:00A hefty doctor's bill is hard to swallow at the best of times.
00:07Even more so when Medicare spread more thinly than ever.
00:13During her second pregnancy, Danielle Tooley was shocked when she had to pay hundreds of
00:18dollars for private scans and appointments.
00:21There's probably a lot of women out there who just can't afford to pay that, so I guess
00:27they're putting themselves and their unborn babies at risk.
00:31The cost of specialist appointments is rising, but the amount Medicare covers isn't keeping
00:36pace.
00:37When Medicare started in 1984, it was picking up 87 per cent of specialist fees.
00:44Twenty years later, it was covering 72 per cent.
00:48Fast forward to this year, and between January and March, it covered 52 per cent, the lowest
00:55rate on record.
00:58Expectant parents like Danielle are particularly hard hit.
01:02Medicare covered just 39 per cent of obstetric fees in July.
01:06Over time, the Medicare rebates fall further and further behind, so that we see now where
01:12they're almost meaningless when it comes to accessing care.
01:16Universal health care in Australia is increasingly anything but, as those who can't afford private
01:22specialists are forced to languish on public waitlists for years.
01:27The federal government says it's delivered the largest Medicare investment in decades.
01:32Specialists want more, in the form of higher rebates, but others say deeper structural
01:37problems need to be addressed.
01:39Looking at getting that training pipeline working, better transparency about fees, and
01:45then really, if the fees are too extreme, looking at how to reduce them.
01:50Building blocks towards a more equitable health care system.