LNP candidate for Griffith, Bill Glasson, backs $6 GP fee

Updated

The Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate for Kevin Rudd's former seat of Griffith has backed imposing a fee on patients visiting their doctors, provided it does not affect care for the country's most vulnerable.

Ophthalmologist Bill Glasson, who lost to the former prime minister by just over 5,000 votes after preferences were allocated in last year's federal election, is recontesting the seat following Mr Rudd's resignation from Parliament.

He will face employment lawyer Terri Butler, endorsed last month as Labor's candidate for Griffith, in a by-election due early this year.

Dr Glasson has told ABC News Online he supports a recent proposal to charge patients $6 to visit their general practitioner.

The proposal was made by Prime Minister Tony Abbott's former health policy adviser Terry Barnes.

Mr Barnes made the co-payments suggestion to the Government's commission of audit as one way of raising revenue for the health system.

His report argues the fee would send a message to patients that nothing comes for free and help reduce unnecessary visits to the doctor.

Mr Barnes also advocates allowing the states to impose the same fee at emergency wards to stop patients clogging up hospital departments trying to avoid paying the fee.

"I do support an affordable price signal, but we have to make sure it wouldn't impact on the most vulnerable in our society, especially children, the elderly, Indigenous and patients with chronic conditions," said Mr Glasson, a former Australian Medical Association president.

"If you can afford to pay, you should pay, to keep the system fair and affordable."

Dr Glasson said patients paid for health services through their left pocket via their taxes and their right via service charges, and a sustainable health system needed to focus on getting the balance right.

Labor will 'fight the GP tax in Griffith'

Labor has seized on Dr Glasson's endorsement and vowed to make it a central issue in the upcoming by-election.

It is also pressuring the Prime Minister to declare whether the fee will be government policy.

"Mr Glasson is today stating what the Prime Minister and Mr Dutton are too scared to admit," Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King said.

"The Coalition want to sneak in a new tax that will hit families every time they take their sick child to the doctor.

"Families shouldn't have to keep footing the bill for the Prime Minister's broken promises.

"Labor will fight the Coalition's new GP tax in 2014, in Griffith, and right across the country."

Dr Glasson's opponent in Griffith took to her Twitter account to criticise upfront GP payments.

Pharmaceutical copayments led to people not filling scripts; would a new GP tax mean people who need medical help don't seek it? #auspol — Terri Megan Butler (@terrimbutler) January 2, 2014

The Government has not ruled out adopting the idea, but says it will not comment on Mr Barnes's report to the commission of audit until a decision has been made.

Topics: federal-election, federal-elections, federal-government, rudd-kevin, federal-parliament, doctors-and-medical-professionals, qld, australia

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