The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) has made a submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs about the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 202. NRHA supports the Bill’s aim to provide a stronger legislative foundation for Commonwealth health incentive payment programs. However, our submission argues that incentive payments alone will not address the significant health, workforce and funding inequities experienced by rural Australians.
Through our submission we are advocating for:
- Stronger safeguards to ensure program changes do not disadvantage rural communities.
- Reduced administrative burden on rural practices.
- A National Rural Health Fund and more flexible funding models for rural primary care.
- Greater investment in rural specialist training, education and health infrastructure.
- Ongoing and transparent indexation of Medicare and incentive payments
The submission emphasises that incentive payments should form part of a broader rural health strategy focused on equitable funding, workforce development and improved access to care for rural, regional and remote communities.