CPSA has banded together with a number of like-minded organisations calling for the introduction of a dental health scheme to address the problems faced by many Australians in trying to access dental treatment.
CPSA has received a number of calls lately about the ambulance arrangements for pensioners who travel outside NSW. Are pensioners covered if they need an ambulance in another state or territory?
IF you have a chronic illness, and are being treated by a team of at least three health professionals, then you may be eligible for dental care under Medicare.
The program called Enhanced Primary Care for people with a Chronic Illness o
CATARACT surgery in rural and remote Australia will be better funded to the tune of $5 million over four years. This extra funding intends to expand cataract surgery in rural and remote areas of Australia.
IT has been 12 months since the NSW Oral Health Alliance released its report Access to dental services amongst clients of non-government human services organisations. The report was released under the then NSW health minister John Della Bosca, who
PENSIONERS’ hip pockets get a workout when it comes to healthcare. It’s not too bad if you’re fit and healthy and take no or very few medications (listed on the PBS).
However, if you fall outside of that box, watch out.
FIVE men per day commit suicide in Australia. It’s a shocking statistic, but you may be surprised to know that suicide rates among the over 65s is as high as those of younger groups.
“There’s a limit to how far the budget can go on these things”: Prime Minster Kevin Rudd on why dental is not included in Medicare.
2010-04-01 09:48:00 Voice Editorial Team
CPSA is sure that there are thousands of pensioners who would say exactly the same thing about their own budget’s scope to cover the cost of trips to the dentist.
The Prime Minister made this statement when asked why dental care w
HEALTH reform is again at the forefront of public debate. The Coalition has put their (light-on-detail) policy on the table. This has pressured the Labor Government to release its response to the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission&rsqu
THE Australian Government reneged on its halving of the cataract surgery Medicare rebate, announcing that rather than the initial 51% cut taking effect, the rebate will now be reduced by 12%.
Food Safety Compromised with the introduction of ‘Choose Your Own Auditor’
2010-02-08 15:53:00 Voice Editorial Team
RECENT changes to food safety auditing for the largest food businesses and providers in NSW have ignited fears that the State Government is allowing food safety standards to be compromised.
Private health cover not so light on the public purse
2010-02-08 15:25:00 Voice Editorial Team
PRIVATE health insurance is regularly touted as the most ‘responsible’ option for ‘individuals’ to safeguard themselves from high medical costs and long hospital waiting lists. It’s also said that without private heal
Win for Rural and Regional NSW: Royal Flying Doctors Service Saved
2010-02-08 15:07:00 Voice Editorial Team
IN what can only be described as a big win for rural and regional communities across NSW, the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) has retained the air ambulance service.
In an apparent bid to save costs the NSW Government had put the ser
OVARIAN Cancer Australia is calling on all Australian women to be aware of ovarian cancer and its symptoms. It is vital at any age because as you get older, the risks become greater.
CPSA Conference 2009 - Associate Professor Hans Zoellner
2009-11-26 16:03:00 Voice Editorial Team
Associate Professor Hans Zoellner of the Association for the Promotion of Oral Health (APOH) spoke to the Conference about the serious situation concerning Australia’s dental health standards.
THE HEALTH reform agenda outlined by the enormous Health and Hospital Reform Commission report correctly identifies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, mental health, dental health and, of course, our hospitals as areas in desperate need
AS the stoush between ophthalmologists and the Australian Government about the slashing of the Medicare Benefit Schedule fee for cataract surgery continues, people requiring the surgery are stuck in the middle.
Dialysis home patients struggle with treatment costs
2009-10-26 10:09:00 Voice Editorial Team
THE NSW Government is saving tens of thousands of dollars as patients choose home dialysis, but many are struggling to bear the costs, Kidney Health Australia says.
The organisation has called for an investigation into the costs of home
A recent report by CHOICE shows that consumers want better labelling of packaged food.
The report presents findings of a survey of 790 consumers in NSW found that 90 per cent want a consistent labelling system for all packaged foods. (more)
HEALTH
Good news for those with macular degeneration, but you’ll be left to haggle if you have cataracts
2009-10-01 10:09:00 Voice Editorial Team
A SMALL win for people with macular degeneration (MD), as the Australian Government backed down over putting a cap on the level of rebate that patients can receive if they have private treatment for macular degeneration.
Australians urged to test for ‘sneak thief of sight’
2009-10-01 10:07:00 Voice Editorial Team
WITH MUCH news about proposed cuts to the Medicare subsidies for the treatment of cataracts and macular degeneration, we should not let another eye disease pass us by undetected.
An estimated 150 thousand Australians have glaucoma, an ey
DESPITE a large number of commentators publicly supporting of the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission’s Denticare recommendation, not all are happy with the proposal.
Dr Hans Zoellner, chairman of the Association for the
THE OLDER Women’s Network (OWN) has released a report highlighting the neglect of older, homeless women and the failure of supported accommodation services to meet their needs.
MENTAL Health Week, (Sunday 4 October to Saturday 10 October 2009) will ask us all to sign up, link in and get involved, promoting the connection between mental wellbeing and getting involved with our local communities, clubs, organisations and se
THE CONSUMERS Health Forum of Australia (CHF) has called on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to investigate claims that pathology companies are pressuring doctors to reduce bulk-billing
IN THE budget lead-up, much was said of the Government’s plan to take the knife to the Private Health Insurance (PHI) Rebate, but in the end it was only trimmed.
AFFORDABILITY AND LONG waiting times were found to be the major issues faced by public dental patients in a report released by the NSW Oral Health Alliance, a forum which includes CPSA and is convened by the Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS
A NUMBER of major issues have come about in the past few weeks highlighting how poorly the NSW health system is.
In March, Dr Claire Blizzard resigned from her position as chief exec
(more)
PBS
PBS medicines: make sure you don’t pay too much
2009-03-27 14:08:00 Voice Editorial Team
IT WAS brought to CPSA’s attention that some pensioners are paying more than they should for medication if they choose a certain brand, or non-generic medicines.
HOSPITALS in NSW are at breaking point and the health system needs a massive overhaul according to the Garling report commissioned to examine why the health care system in NSW has failed so many.
THE RUDD GOVERNMENT, which has so far stalled on its election promise to introduce a dental scheme for low income Australians, is facing calls to abolish private health insurance rebates that go to private dentistry.
EVERYONE has the right to receive appropriate health care. If you are concerned about the health services that were provided to you, discuss your concerns with the doctor or hospital to see whether they can work with you to resolve your concerns.
ALZHEIMER’s Australia has recommended annual funding for dementia research be increased three-fold to $36 million in response to the growing economic and social impact of the dementia epidemic.
By 2030, the total cost to the health care system o
NICOLA Roxon has announced a review of the delivery of health care services that will consider employing nurses and other health professionals to deliver services normally provided by a GP.
The already high demand placed on GPs and hospitals
A POWER of attorney is a document you can sign to appoint another person (called your attorney) to act on your behalf in relation to your financial affairs.
DOES glucosamine help relieve the pain of osteoarthritis?
The latest research casts some doubt on whether glucosamine relieves the pain of osteoarthritis. It might be that you’re more likely to benefit from losing weight and doing regular exercise
THE Pharmaceutical Allowance is $5.80 a fortnight for singles but $2.90 a fortnight for each member of a couple. It is paid regardless of whether recipients need to buy medicines or not.
It is indexed every six months in line with CPI, but only by
Queensland ambulances: happy ending but travel alert stays
2008-04-02 11:28:00 Voice Editorial Team
IN the December 2007 issue of THE VOICE, we told the story of a CPSA member who thought he was covered for Queensland ambulances, but still got a bill for $321.
Queensland Ambulances classified his use of the ambulance as non-emergency, and NS
Public health system crumbling, private system booming
2008-02-29 11:22:00 Voice Editorial Team
WONDERING why your Pharmaceutical Allowance has not gone up for six years? Wondering why the PBS co-contribution has almost doubled during that time? Wondering why the public hospitals seem to be falling apart?
CPSA has written to the new Health Minister Nicola Roxon about the unsatisfactory access to MRI-machines for people on low incomes, including pensioners.
There is no shortage overall of MRI-machines in Australia. The issue is that those machines
MACULAR Degeneration (MD) is the leading cause of blindness in Australia.
The macula is the central part of the retina, which is the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. The retina processes all visual images and is responsible for t
IT’S A GOOD question, because in spite of all the announcements there’s a lot that Mr Rudd and his health spokesperson Nicola Roxon simply haven’t talked about.
What will Labor do with Medicare, apart from keeping the safety net?What about
THE FEDERAL opposition has said they will introduce free dental care for all Australians earning less than $55 660 a year and will also provide funding to help deal with the backlog of people who need
Little benefit to health system from $3b rebate scheme
2007-05-07 15:07:00 Jane Bunce/AAP
THE FEDERAL government may be wasting $3 billion a year on a scheme to push Australians onto private health insurance that is doing little to reduce public hospital use, a new report suggests.
Scrapping the 30 per cent private health insurance r
THE ELIXIR of youth may ultimately be hidden in a poorly-understood gene that not only fosters longevity but enhances quality of life, according to a landmark US study.
In a series of experiments on earthworms, a team of scientists at the Sal
The report, Australia’s dental generations: the National Survey of Adult Oral Health 2004-06, by the the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare provides a detailed snapshot of adult dental health.
FOR YEARS CPSA and fellow travellers have been calling for dental care with Medicare.
It seems that the rest of Australia may be starting to catch up. The Health Services Union recently made the same call and Labor has pledged to introduce a fed
THE INTERSTATE ambulance fee reimbursement scheme (The Voice, Nov-Dec) for pensioners travelling to Queensland and South Australia has been reinstated in response to public pressure. It’s about time.
SOME people underestimate how important podiatry services are. They believe that they are less necessary than other forms of health care and that people don’t have a right to receive basic care from podiatr
THE BRITISH comedian Paul Merton once said that he was always amazed to hear of air crash victims so badly mutilated that they had to be identified by their dental records. What he couldn’t understand was, if they don't know who you are, how do they
CPSA is concerned that hospital waiting lists in NSW are being used as a political football.
The NSW Government is trying to make out hospital waiting lists are getting shorter. The NSW Opposition is trying to make out that they are longer. Recen
If history is anything to go by, we are due our next influenza pandemic some time in the next 10 years. A pandemic is an outbreak that spreads across the world. During the twentieth century there were three influenza pandemics, in 1918, 1957 and1968.
Podiatry is an essential need for older people. The preventative benefits of regular check-ups by a qualified podiatrist are well-known and disputed by no one.
NSW Health has just put out a draft twenty year (no less!) plan for health care in
Most readers of The Voice would be familiar with the NSW Government Spectacle Program, also know as Visioncare NSW. One free set of specs every two years, subject to a means test.
If you didn’t know about it (and need glasses), ring 1800 806 8
The NSW Government should be commended for finally agreeing to lower distance criteria for the Isolated Patients Transport and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).
This will provide financial relief for many people in rural and regional N
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