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- February 09, 2011, 02:00:12 PMMoreover,You are not allowed to view links.
Register or Login, the federal coalition has vowed to team up with key crossbench senators to disallow the lower rebate when parliament resumes on Monday week.
HCF says its move means members won't face any additional expenses following Labor's decision to cut the standard government rebate from $624 to $340.
But it's only promised to cover any shortfall until April, when a new benefits schedule will kick in.
HCF says boosting the two benefits will cost $1.7 million a year.
Australia's largest not-for-profit health insurer says it will increase benefits for cataract surgery after the Rudd government last week slashed the Medicare rebate by 45 per cent.
The health fund will also increase benefits for angiograms. The Medicare rebate for those procedures has been cut by 18 per cent.
Health fund vows to cover cataract costs
"Without passing judgment on the government's decision, HCF intends to cover, for a period of up to six months, any increase in out-of-pocket expense for our members caused by the Medicare decision,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, so that they are no worse off financially,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login," HCF chief medical officer Andrew Cottrill said in a statement.
But doctors argue the move will hurt elderly patients.
It says it'll keep on fighting until the original rebate is reinstated.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon says patients wouldn't be left in the lurch with the new $340 rebate if eye doctors simply lowered their fees.
"We will work constructively and in collaboration with relevant medical organisations to agree on a fair cost of providing cataract surgery and angiography, to be covered in our new medical benefit schedules," Dr Cottrill said.
She argues advances in technology means standard cataract surgery takes just 20 minutes,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, and doctors are raking in millions as a result of the excessively high Medicare payments.
HCF says its move means members won't face any additional expenses following Labor's decision to cut the standard government rebate from $624 to $340.
But it's only promised to cover any shortfall until April, when a new benefits schedule will kick in.
HCF says boosting the two benefits will cost $1.7 million a year.
Australia's largest not-for-profit health insurer says it will increase benefits for cataract surgery after the Rudd government last week slashed the Medicare rebate by 45 per cent.
The health fund will also increase benefits for angiograms. The Medicare rebate for those procedures has been cut by 18 per cent.
Health fund vows to cover cataract costs
"Without passing judgment on the government's decision, HCF intends to cover, for a period of up to six months, any increase in out-of-pocket expense for our members caused by the Medicare decision,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, so that they are no worse off financially,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login," HCF chief medical officer Andrew Cottrill said in a statement.
But doctors argue the move will hurt elderly patients.
It says it'll keep on fighting until the original rebate is reinstated.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon says patients wouldn't be left in the lurch with the new $340 rebate if eye doctors simply lowered their fees.
"We will work constructively and in collaboration with relevant medical organisations to agree on a fair cost of providing cataract surgery and angiography, to be covered in our new medical benefit schedules," Dr Cottrill said.
She argues advances in technology means standard cataract surgery takes just 20 minutes,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, and doctors are raking in millions as a result of the excessively high Medicare payments.