3 years ago
KRISTY MCBAIN’S HEALTH PLAN FOR EDEN-MONARO
CHRIS BOWEN MP
The past few months have reminded us why it’s so important to have access to quality health care – no matter how much we earn or where we live.
Kristy McBain understands that people in Eden-Monaro are forced to wait too long, travel too far and pay too much for health care.
Since 2013, Liberal politicians in Canberra and Sydney have cut vital hospital services and made it more expensive to see a GP.
The next Labor Government will prioritise the health of people in regional and rural Australia.
But people in Eden-Monaro can’t afford to wait for the next federal election.
They need a strong voice in Canberra now, to stand up against government cuts and neglect.
Kristy McBain will:
• Fight to reverse Government changes that have hurt regional areas.
The Government has cut Medicare bulk billing incentives and made it harder to recruit doctors in regional centres like Queanbeyan and Yass. Kristy knows it’s already hard enough to access health care in our regions and will fight for the Government to reconsider these damaging decisions.
• Campaign to continue Medicare telehealth rebates.
In many instances, phone and video consultations can replace face-to-face doctor visits, and save people in Eden-Monaro from travelling long distances. At Labor’s suggestion, the Government introduced telehealth rebates during the COVID-19 crisis. But under the Liberals, these rebates are due to end in September. Kristy McBain knows that health challenges for people in Eden-Monaro won’t end with the outbreak, and will fight for the Government to extend these rebates.
• Return maternity services to Yass Hospital.
An Albanese Labor Government will invest $4.7 million to return maternity services to Yass Hospital, instead of forcing expecting mothers from the Yass Valley to travel up to an hour to give birth in Goulburn or Canberra. It is unacceptable that mothers have given birth on the side of the road because there is no maternity ward at their local hospital. The new maternity ward at Yass Hospital will mean that mothers can give birth closer to home. It will include a fully fitted-out birth room and a postnatal room for overnight stays.
• Work to make sure the NSW Government delivers its promised Eurobodalla Hospital on time.
The NSW Government has promised to build a new Eurobodalla Hospital which would be available to Eden-Monaro residents in the northern part of the electorate. However, Liberal Governments at federal and state level have been slow to make progress. Kristy will campaign to make sure that the hospital is delivered as soon as possible so that residents have access to a wider range of health services, closer to home.
Across Eden-Monaro, from Yass to Bega and beyond, there are less GPs and other health providers than the national average.
And even when doctors are available, record out-of-pocket costs force one in eight people in the region to skip care – the highest rate in the country.
People feel like they have been left behind.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut billions from Medicare by freezing patient rebates. Now, he’s ripping GP funding from places like Queanbeyan and making it harder to recruit doctors in places like Yass.
The Eden-Monaro by-election on Saturday 4 July is a chance to tell politicians in Canberra and Sydney that they need to make local hospitals and health care a priority.
Only Kristy McBain will be a strong voice for better local health care.
Kristy McBain understands that people in Eden-Monaro are forced to wait too long, travel too far and pay too much for health care.
Since 2013, Liberal politicians in Canberra and Sydney have cut vital hospital services and made it more expensive to see a GP.
The next Labor Government will prioritise the health of people in regional and rural Australia.
But people in Eden-Monaro can’t afford to wait for the next federal election.
They need a strong voice in Canberra now, to stand up against government cuts and neglect.
Kristy McBain will:
• Fight to reverse Government changes that have hurt regional areas.
The Government has cut Medicare bulk billing incentives and made it harder to recruit doctors in regional centres like Queanbeyan and Yass. Kristy knows it’s already hard enough to access health care in our regions and will fight for the Government to reconsider these damaging decisions.
• Campaign to continue Medicare telehealth rebates.
In many instances, phone and video consultations can replace face-to-face doctor visits, and save people in Eden-Monaro from travelling long distances. At Labor’s suggestion, the Government introduced telehealth rebates during the COVID-19 crisis. But under the Liberals, these rebates are due to end in September. Kristy McBain knows that health challenges for people in Eden-Monaro won’t end with the outbreak, and will fight for the Government to extend these rebates.
• Return maternity services to Yass Hospital.
An Albanese Labor Government will invest $4.7 million to return maternity services to Yass Hospital, instead of forcing expecting mothers from the Yass Valley to travel up to an hour to give birth in Goulburn or Canberra. It is unacceptable that mothers have given birth on the side of the road because there is no maternity ward at their local hospital. The new maternity ward at Yass Hospital will mean that mothers can give birth closer to home. It will include a fully fitted-out birth room and a postnatal room for overnight stays.
• Work to make sure the NSW Government delivers its promised Eurobodalla Hospital on time.
The NSW Government has promised to build a new Eurobodalla Hospital which would be available to Eden-Monaro residents in the northern part of the electorate. However, Liberal Governments at federal and state level have been slow to make progress. Kristy will campaign to make sure that the hospital is delivered as soon as possible so that residents have access to a wider range of health services, closer to home.
Across Eden-Monaro, from Yass to Bega and beyond, there are less GPs and other health providers than the national average.
And even when doctors are available, record out-of-pocket costs force one in eight people in the region to skip care – the highest rate in the country.
People feel like they have been left behind.
As Treasurer, Scott Morrison cut billions from Medicare by freezing patient rebates. Now, he’s ripping GP funding from places like Queanbeyan and making it harder to recruit doctors in places like Yass.
The Eden-Monaro by-election on Saturday 4 July is a chance to tell politicians in Canberra and Sydney that they need to make local hospitals and health care a priority.
Only Kristy McBain will be a strong voice for better local health care.