If the Feds accept the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s recommendation that they take over primary health care, the consultancy business can expect a major windfall.
You can get just an inkling of this from P 114:
“We anticipate that the Commonwealth Government would need to spend considerable time doing the equivalent of a ‘stocktake’ or a ‘due diligence’ exercise to better understand the range of primary health care services now provided by states outside of Medicare.
For example, it will need to understand: the scope of services and how they differ between states; the current eligibility rules and any patient co-payments for accessing these services; and the remuneration and employment arrangements for health professionals employed in these services.”
The report also notes that some governments are “understandably cautious” about the magnitude of the change in bringing existing state-funded primary health care services under the policy and funding responsibility of the Commonwealth Government.
It says: “To achieve success in this endeavour will require effective collaboration and consultation between all governments and across all health professions. It will require the Commonwealth Government to develop experience and knowledge across the whole spectrum of primary health care services.”
It looks like the Feds are going to need a lot of help – and not just in this area. Which means a lot of work for someone.
