The Roxon Maternity Reform Agenda
In May 2009 the Government announced long-awaited reforms to Australia’s maternity care system, to give women better “choice and access” in their maternity care:
* Medicare rebates for women receiving care from expert midwives
* A solution to midwives’ professional indemnity insurance problems
* Boosted funding for rural maternity services
* $120.5 million new funding
These reforms promised to greatly improve women’s control, choices, continuity of care and access to community-based care, in the most significant reform yet to the Medicare system.
The Medical Veto
After months of intense pressure on Government from wealthy medical interest groups, regulations gazetted in July 2010 now require each Medicare payment for midwifery care to have a form of approval from a doctor.
* Control of taxpayer’s health dollars has been taken from women and families, and handed to millionaire specialist doctors.
* Anti-competitive influence imposed on the health care market, giving one group of providers control over consumer access to another group of providers of the same business service.
* Midwives subject to defacto “parallel regulation”, with doctors and regulators setting different conditions for midwifery practice.
* “Collaborative arrangements” required by regulations cannot be made with hospitals, even though most private midwives consult and refer to hospitals rather than individual doctors.
* The requirements do not improve “safety”, “access” or “continuity” for Australian mothers.
Fix this for women and families!
* Remove requirements for permission from a doctor from Medicare for midwives legislation.
* Ensure that women’s rights to choice are protected in all legislation, guidelines and standards.
* Give women continuity of care through visiting rights for midwives in public hospitals.
