Subsidies for mental health care to be slashed

Health Minister Mark Butler has defended the “baffling” decision to remove extra mental health support as Aussies battle with cost of living pain.

The number of subsidised mental health sessions will be slashed from 20 to 10 from January, after a review found the boost during Covid caused waitlists to balloon and reduced access for new patients.

Medicare-funded PCR tests will also require a referral from a medical or nurse practitioner under a $2.8bn Commonwealth plan to manage Covid next year.

Psychologists, suicide prevention bodies and opposition have slammed the decision not to extend funding for the extra 10 psychology sessions beyond December 31.

But Health Minister Mark Butler said a University of Melbourne evaluation of the “Better Access for Mental Health program” revealed that Australians on the lowest incomes were more likely to be on antidepressants for their mental distress because they weren’t able to access psychology services.

Health Minister Mark Butler has defended reducing the number of Medicare-rebatable psychology sessions a year. Picture: Martin Ollman

“The additional services aggravated waitlists, aggravated barriers to access particularly for lowest income Australians,” Mr Butler said.

“The number of new patients who are able to get into the system and get access to psychology service actually declined by 7 per cent over the course of that period.”

Mr Butler said support needed to be better targeted – with people in rural areas also missing out – and he would work with interest groups over the summer to make the services more equitable.

Australian Association of Psychologists executive director Tegan Carrison blasted the move as “bitterly disappointing” saying the nation was in the midst of a mental health crisis.

“Given the devastating impact of the pandemic, regular natural disasters, increasing levels of mental ill-health and unprecedented demand, this decision is denying people the level of mental health care they so desperately need,” she said.

Suicide Prevention Australia CEO, Nieves Murray, said the decision to remove extra mental health supports at a time when interest rates were rising, housing pressure was growing and distress was high was “baffling and very concerning”.

“While we support any changes to improve the Better Access program it makes no sense to turn off additional supports before those changes are developed,” she said.

The number of subsidised mental health sessions will be slashed from 20 to 10.

The independent evaluation recommends that the additional 10 sessions should “continue to be made available and should be targeted towards those with complex mental health needs”.

Under the 2023 Covid response plan, Medicare-funded PCR tests will only be conducted following a referral, which opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston warns will “add to the burden of our hardworking and under-pressure GPs”.

From January 1, funding for Covid hospital admissions will return to being divided between the Commonwealth and state governments under the National Health Reform Agreement.

AMA president Prof Steve Robson called on Mr Butler to immediately reconsider the decision not to extend the 50-50 funding.

“We are about to hit one of the busiest times of the year for our public hospitals and there will likely be a surge in Covid-19 cases out of the fourth wave — this is the worst time to pull the financial rug out from under the states,” he said.

Most GP respiratory clinics will continue to operate until March 1, before opening up again during future Covid waves - which Chief Medical Officer Prof Paul Kelly expects will occur regularly for “at least the next two years”.

The Commonwealth will extend several other Covid measures including protections for vulnerable groups, MBS items and 50-50 funding for state PCR testing clinics and vaccine administration services.

Originally published as Subsidies for mental health care to be slashed