The Grattan Institute has just released a Report discussing “excessive” medical specialist fees.

The Grattan recommendations are founded on a fundamental premise that government can fix the problem through a plethora of regulations. Grattan ignores the history of reform in the broader health sector, which is marked by a reluctance of governments to tackle critical issues for fear that these measures might rankle the Australian Medical Association, the various specialist colleges, the powerful Medical Technology Association and, in the case of pharmacies, the all-too-powerful Pharmacy Guild.