Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Medicare, introduced by the Whitlam government as Medibank, transformed Australia's health system. Before Medicare, Australians who could not afford private health insurance were locked out of proper medical care. They faced the prospect of becoming bankrupt when they became sick. Universal access to health care is an enduring legacy of the Whitlam Labor government. It is, along with the PBS, one of the great manifestations of Australia's commitment to an equitable and fair society. But, as we know, it is not something that we can ever just set and forget.

Labor has fought to protect and, where necessary, expand Medicare in the four or so decades since the Whitlam government, and we will always continue to do so. It is the sad truth that today, in 2019, there are still too many people in our community for whom the cost of health care is prohibitive, who either don't access the tests and treatments they need, because they simply can't afford to, or who have the added stress of financial strain on top of the strain of being sick, because they have had to access their superannuation to pay out-of-pocket costs or take out a loan, or continue to work, even though they're not well enough to do so because they're getting treatment.

In 2016 the ABS estimated that each year almost 300,000 Australians forgo a radiology service that they have been referred for because the cost is too high. That should never, ever be the case for anyone, let alone for 300,000 Australians. An MRI saved my life twice. I am incredibly lucky that, when I was referred to have an MRI, in July this year, I could afford the out-of-pocket costs. But, for too many people, people in my community and beyond, costs are prohibitive. And, sometimes, if, like me—because I didn't know that I had cancer at the time—the referral is not considered to be particularly urgent, it can be the case that the financial burden may well be enough to make the decision not to have the scan. Had I not had the MRI scan, we would not know that I have cancer, and I would not have started the treatment that I need.

On average, a woman diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association, will require at least five services, and that's prior to commencing treatment. For example, I had an MRI followed by nuclear medicine, a CT, an ultrasound, and then further CTs during radiation. The ADIA also estimates that, on average, patients pay a $105 gap and a $473 up-front fee for nuclear medicine, and a $182 gap and a $524 up-front fee for MRIs. Then, once you have been diagnosed and you're in treatment, you require multiple scans, sometimes over many years, as part of the treatment—for many people, accumulating thousands and thousands of dollars in up-front fees. Under the current system, people can only access subsidised scans on MRI machines that have a Medicare licence, and there are only 216 fully licensed MRI scanners across Australia, so patients who can't afford the full upfront costs often wait weeks for an MRI, travel long distances or, as I've said, sometimes don't have one. The MRI is the only imaging service restricted by Medicare in this way, and it's a significant reason why access to MRIs in Australia is poor in comparison to our peer countries. And we must do better. We must.

I was very proud that Labor took a policy to the last election to tackle barriers to life-saving scans by scrapping restrictions on MRI machines for cancer patients. Labor's policy was that, if you need a cancer scan, every MRI machine in every postcode would be eligible for Medicare. Restrictions would be lifted so that all MRI providers that met minimum quality and safety standards would be able to bill Medicare for cancer services, provided they bulk-billed. That would mean that scans that would normally cost hundreds of dollars—often accumulating to thousands and thousands of dollars—would be free.

This government has made some good steps towards subsidising scans, and I ask the Liberal government to consider looking at Labor's policy and implementing it, because it is a policy that not only will save lives but will make life just that little bit easier for many, many Australians having to go through treatment,

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