Labor MPs have warned that Sunbury and Macedon Ranges residents being treated for serious illnesses, including cancer, could face large bills for MRIs, X-rays and mammograms under changes to the Medicare benefits schedule (MBS).
McEwen MP Rob Mitchell and Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King discussed federal cuts during a visit to Sunbury’s new Lake Imaging clinic last week.
The two Labor MPs said many clinics would be forced to charge patients for scans and tests that were previously bulk-billed.
Figures released by the Australian Diagnostic Imaging Association show upfront fees could range from $93 for an X-ray to $396 for a CAT scan, and up to $1000 for a positron emission tomograph (PET) scan.
‘‘A patient diagnosed with melanoma, who was previously bulk-billed, could face upfront costs of about $1500 and still be left with out-of-pocket costs of up to $400 after receiving their Medicare rebates,’’ Mr Mitchell and Ms King said in a statement.
Health Minister Sussan Ley has previously said items removed as part of the first stage of MBS reforms no longer represented ‘‘clinical best practice’’.
‘‘Reasons range from more clinically appropriate and/or efficient technologies and procedures already listed on the MBS, through to patient safety, unnecessary doubling-up of item claims and decreasing usage,’’ she said.
