Vision Voice Macular Disease Foundation Aust

Does anyone have a problem with Macular Disease of the eyes? Greg Hunt is cutting money from Medicare for those who need eye needles for Macular Degeneration!

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For Vision Voice Magazine Spring edition     (you can download any of their magazines)

https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/news/vision-voice-spring-2021-out-now/

 
Health Minister’s message
 
 
Ita's reply
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

3 comments

Is Hunt cutting money from Medicare for those who need eye needles for Macular Degeneration PlanB? I haven't read that anywhere.

they cut everyone's funding but their own. because there is no one to stop them ( not till the next election ) how many others can screw up like they do with the job security they have 

That link doesn't work, PlanB, but Vision Voice has a newsletter stating that Hunt is "allaying fears" which suggests that he is not accepting the recommendation to cut funding. Any workable links to support your claim?

Sue I just tried it and it is working for me -- there is also a reply from Ita Butross to him as well

Thank you, RnR, that's all well and good but I still revert to my first question: Is Hunt cutting money from Medicare for those who need eye needles for Macular Degeneration? None of the literature I have read tells me that it is a done deal.

Ita's reply here

Australians experiencing severe vision loss and blindness within the next five years.

Ita Buttrose

“This rebate reduction, if approved, will deliver some savings to Government, but will effectively be cost shifting to other parts of the health and welfare system.”

 Inaugural Ita Buttrose Oration

Ita’s remarks were made at the inaugural Ita Buttrose Oration. The address was nationally televised by the ABC from the National Press Club in Canberra

The Ita Buttrose Oration is an initiative of MDFA. It is designed to address a range of issues around a vision for a healthy ageing Australia.

The inaugural Oration coincides with the 20th anniversary of MDFA and the launch of Macula Month in May. Macula Month is MDFA’s annual campaign, designed to raise awareness of the risks and symptoms of macular disease.

Image shows Ita Buttrose speaking at the National Press Club  

Much of Ita’s speech focused on the recommendation before the Federal Government to slash the rebate for eye injections. The MBS Review Taskforce’s proposal was one of 19 recommendations in a report to the Federal Government delivered in late 2019. It is still under consideration.

Eye injections are used to treat several blinding conditions, including wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).

Australia is a world leader in the treatment of wet AMD. Patients receive injections to the eye every four to six weeks for an indefinite period, meaning costs can stack up.

Currently, approximately 80,000 vulnerable Australians stop eye injection treatment within five years. While there are many reasons for this, access and cost are two of the primary ones.

Ita said MDFA’s economic modelling forecast the rebate cut would lead to an additional 47,000 people dropping out of treatment, suffering severe vision loss or blindness as a result.

“This would lead to an extra $168 million in direct costs to Government in primary health, mental health care and early admissions to residential aged care,” she said.

“It’s estimated the proposed rebate cut would also lead to an additional $2.6 billion in indirect costs through loss of patient and family carer productivity.”

 Reject the rebate cut

Ita called on the Government to reject the recommendation to cut the Medicare rebate for eye injections, and to consider MDFA’s fully costed plans to improve access to sight-saving treatment.

These models can be implemented immediately by leveraging existing systems and infrastructure:

new low cost-regional clinics, so patients can access treatment without needing to travel to metropolitan clinics that are already at capacity,increasing the number of healthcare workers who can give injections under the supervision of qualified ophthalmologists,empowering patients to be better informed about fees so they can self-advocate if they can’t afford treatment.

“These models need both Federal and State Government investment. But the cost of doing nothing is much higher. Every 1,000 wet AMD patients left untreated costs the health system $20 million a year,” the MDFA Patron said.

On behalf of MDFA, I call on the Government to reject the recommendation to cut the MBS rebate for eye injections.

Ita Buttrose

“We also ask ophthalmologists to work with the Federal and State Governments, and MDFA representing patients, to increase access to public and bulk-billed treatment in more locations across Australia.

“We simply cannot accept an Australia where we have a gold standard treatment to stop people from going blind, yet there are some Australians who can’t access it.

Australians at risk of losing their vision can’t wait any longer – action is needed now.

 

Ita Buttrose The need for research

While eye injections are effective treatment for wet AMD, Ita also highlighted the need for Australia to invest in research and treatments for other macular diseases, including dry (atrophic) age-related macular degeneration.

“Research is costly but doing nothing will cost much more. The Federal Government through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) regularly funds AMD research but this varies from year to year.

“The generosity of the community allows the Foundation to also award research grants. We recently received a bequest of $1 million, which has allowed us to establish a new research funding stream.”

 Low vision supports

Ita’s speech also called out inequities between support for low vision received under aged care, when compared with the NDIS.

“A new report (released in March 2021) comparing aged care and NDIS support revealed that older Australians in aged care receive an average of $35,000 per year less than those with similar impairments on the NDIS,” Ita said.

“In one example, a 63-year-old vision-impaired man on the NDIS is receiving $86,000 a year more in government assistance than an 84-year-old man with similar issues on an aged care home support package.

“Many aged care packages require co-payments, with caps on funding, yet there are no co-payments or limits once a person qualifies for NDIS support.

“It seems inexplicable and unfair. Age discrimination in accessing disability support must stop.”

 

 

Hunts

HomeNewsMBS eye injection: updateHealth Minister’s message to the macular disease community

As part of our ongoing campaign against a proposal to cut Medicare rebates for eye injections, Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) CEO Dee Hopkins and Medical Committee Chair Associate Professor Alex Hunyor met Health Minister Greg Hunt at Parliament House in June.

The discussion centred on recommendations of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Taskforce. The Taskforce last year proposed a 69 per cent cut in the eye injection rebate. This prompted strong opposition from MDFA, patients, ophthalmologists and other health professionals.

My priority is to ensure that more people, rather than less, access treatment for macular disease. 

Health Minister Greg Hunt

“Patients’ optimal health is central to decision making on this matter,” the Minister told us.

The Health Minister also said he wants a decision on the rebate cut to be made as soon as possible to allay patients’ concerns. Over the coming months, the Minister will establish a liaison group to guide the implementation process and ensure that recommendations don’t have unintended consequences.

“Minister Hunt invited MDFA to be part of this liaison group, so that  the needs and best interests  of the macular disease community will be heard and  inform the decision-making process,” Ms Hopkins said.

 Alternative to an MBS rebate cut

“We’ve now presented the Minister with a detailed report outlining alternative costed models of care that would increase access for eye injections,” Ms Hopkins added.

“We also included detailed calculations on the cost of doing nothing and the unintended consequences of cost shifting to other parts of the health and welfare systems.

“The models include the establishment of more regional clinics. We also recommend more healthcare professionals provide injections under ophthalmologists’ supervision.”

 Informed financial consent for macular disease patients

Ms Hopkins said one of the costed proposals presented to the Federal Government relates to improved transparency of treatment costs in private clinics to ensure patients access affordable ongoing care.

“We’ve costed a proposal to implement a national program to help patients better understand their ongoing treatment fees and build confidence to ask for fee leniency,” Ms Hopkins said.

“Health care funding is complex. In Australia, health care operates in a free market. Within the eye health sector, less than 20 per cent of private ophthalmology practices offer bulk-billed services.

“Treatments such as eye injections are funded from Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), private health insurance (where available), and patient out-of-pocket expenses.

“As treatment for conditions such as wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration or diabetic macular oedema need to occur regularly the accumulated out-of-pocket costs can be significant over time and become a barrier to treatment adherence,” she said.

 MDFA poll

We recently polled people receiving eye injections. Fifty-one per cent of respondents told us they were uncomfortable asking their treating ophthalmologist to reduce fees. We also found out that 49 per cent of patients are paying over $200 in out-of-pocket costs per treatment. Twenty-nine per cent considered delaying or stopping treatment due to cost.

MDFA’s proposal would involve close collaboration with Optometry Australia and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists as part of a suite of initiatives to improve adherence to sight-saving treatment.

This proposed program could lead to reductions in out-of-pocket costs, help an extra 3,000 patients adhere to sight-saving treatment and save the government $270 million over the next five years in NSW alone.

“When you scale the potential impact nationally, this is a low-cost investment and solution that can make a significant difference for patients who need ongoing eye injections,” Ms Hopkins said.

MDFA will continue to advocate on your behalf for better access to vital sight-saving treatment.

Share Listen Print You might be interested in…Macular disease champion urges Government to reject proposed Medicare rebate cuts

Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) Patron Ita Buttrose AC OBE has used a nationally televised address to warn the Federal Government about a massive increase in the number of people going blind, if it approves a proposal to slash the Medicare rebate for eye injections.

  

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