
Scott Lynn calls for the implemntation of home hospital care as a way to improve our healthcare system:
At a time when there are long waiting lists, over burdensome red tape, financial waste in the public health system, I believe it is worth considering implementing home hospital care as a pivotal and integral part, by taking pressure off the public system in terms of freeing up more beds and being more cost effective. I point to FINE (Friend in Need Emergency) initiative, started in WA in 2010 by the Liberal-National state government. It is an initiative in the early stages, which if proven to be rather effective, as it appears to be, will be even better when it is expanded further into the community. Those who are sick and ill, who are able and want to stay in the comfort of their home, while receiving treatment, will have peace of mind (they are less stressed and those who have greater debilitating ailments, actually get a bed in a more timely fashion). We need to cut the financial waste in hospitals, without cutting corners, otherwise, we will have the potential for greater cost blowouts.
To do this, changes would need to be built in to the Medicare benefits scheme, permitting Doctors to administer care in the home, but changes need to be made. Research by Deloitte Access Economics discovered that being cared for in the home could be as much as 32% less expensive, in comparison to being cared for in the public hospital system as the report indicated that patients were more content with being treated at home, resulting in patients having less time spent in hospital.
Labor appears to strongly support the dependence of the state, with high taxes, government waste, broken promises, with the result of such inept governance becoming overtly accelerated contributing to increases in cost of living pressures, which is becoming a hideous trend and all too common with the current government. Labor intends to scrap (throw in the bin) the much needed Medicare Chronic Dental Scheme, which makes $4,250 available with due foresight, by trying to assist in preventing further dental (health) concerns of people with chronic and complicated oral health problems. Such a move by the Federal Government would be against the good dental care policy in Western Australia, which provides free basic dental care to those in the pre-primary years all the way up to year 11 in populated areas such as Perth and nearby suburbs and all the way through to year 12 in more remote areas of WA.
Approximately 70% of Australians access oral healthcare on a fairly consistent basis, which means 30% find it hard to access much needed preventative measures to look after their teeth and gums (dental care). Financial barriers and geographic circumstance (remote areas) provide the biggest hurdle to the remaining 30% of individuals, so cutting red tape so these individuals are not dogged by teeth and gum disease (confidence and general health complications), we should work out a path to more easily address these problems as suggested by the Australian Dental Association (ADA). ADA have put forward that we could implement an initiative named Dental Access, with the goal of focusing on providing solutions for avoidable dental problems, which cuts personal and governmental costs down the line. Direct action of this kind is very worthy, in terms of being pursued to help the 30% that can’t get access to dental healthcare, which aims to have positive long term effective dental treatment being providing, instead of the idea of a universal scheme which would give limited, patchy and rather temporary assistance, just like using a Band-Aid.
The Labor/Green attempt to scrap the 30% Private Health Insurance Rebate, will add pressure to a public health system not in the best shape partly due to, way too much red tape (zealous government regulation), government and departmental waste, creating a disconnect between patients, those in the medical profession (including doctors and nurses of course) and the general public at large. We now see that the sooner Labor is thrown out of office at a Federal Level, the easier it will be to get back on the right track for measured and responsible government.
Scott Lynn is a 28 year old who has completed sport & recreation Admin, trained and worked in Aged Care, and is presently completing a BA in Media & Communications.