Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. Of course there are a large number of investments that are being made in rural health. There is one in particular I am surprised the member has not taken the opportunity to ask a question about—I will get to cataracts—because she is one of the members opposite who came to see me about a range of issues in her electorate. I welcome members always being prepared to do that. She particularly asked about the shortage of doctors in her electorate, which will be significantly aided because of the rural health investments—the new structure that is being introduced to support people who are moving to regional areas. They will be paid more the more remote they go. If my recollection is right, GPs moving to her electorate will receive, in many instances, relocation incentives for the first time. So I just note in passing that I am surprised that the question does not raise anything about those investments: hundreds of millions of dollars of extra money going into rural health.

The question of cataracts is certainly something that we do not resile from at all. This is one of the many procedures on the Medicare benefits schedule that have been set at a rate for a very long period of time and that have not been adjusted with the advances of technology. This is surgery that can now be undertaken, in many instances, in a third, a quarter, a fifth or sometimes a tenth of the time it used to take. Instead of paying what is currently the fee for the most commonly performed services—about $830—for something that takes 10 to 15 minutes in most instances, there will be a payment of $409 for the MBS fees.

See this speech in context