Labor pledges $2.3b for Medicare cancer scans and treatment
In a win for the one in two Australians who receive a cancer diagnosis at some time in their lives, a Labor government will slash out of pocket costs that currently exceed $10,000 for a quarter of patients if elected.
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CANCER patients will be offered free treatment in a $2.3 billion commitment under Labor that will be biggest overhaul since Medicare was introduced.
In a win for the one in two Australians who receive a cancer diagnosis at some time in their lives, a Labor government will slash out of pocket costs that currently exceed $10,000 for a quarter of patients.
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Drawing on his own mother’s battle with breast cancer, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten last night pledged to do all he could to ease the burden on people battling the deadly diseases.
“You pay your taxes to Canberra. You pay your Medicare levy,” Mr Shorten told parliament.
“And if I am elected Prime Minister, I’m going to make sure the health care system is there for you when you need it most.”
Up to six million free x-rays, ultrasounds, mammograms, CT scans and PET scans will be offered under a $600 million plan to scrap patient costs for diagnostic imaging.
Every MRI machine in the country will be able to provide Medicare rebates and new Medicare items will be created to drive down costs as part of the plan.
Consultations with oncologists and surgeons will be covered for free for up to three million visits in a move that will cost $433 million in a bid to reverse a 40 per cent surge in the costs of specialists over the past six years.
More cancer drugs will be subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, with Labor guaranteeing to list every new treatment recommended by independent experts.
The overhaul will fund an estimated 1.2 million extra scans for patients in Queensland and pay for 603,000 specialist consultations in the state over the next four years.
The changes will be a relief for patients who currently spend more than $18,000 for prostate cancer treatment, $10,000 for two years of breast cancer scans and tests and $5000 for two years of skin cancer treatment.
Mr Shorten said many people did not realise the high levels of out of pocket costs for cancer patients until they or one of their loved ones were affected.
“For so many people, cancer makes you sick and then paying for the treatment makes you poor,” he said.
Brisbane woman Kristen Larsen, 26, who has been battling ovarian cancer for the past six years, said she did not want to think about the cost of her treatment.
“I’ve had chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgeries and taken part in clinical trials,” she told The Courier Mail.
“I’m a full time cancer patient”.
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