Re: Bob Brown resigns, Christine Milne to take leadership
Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:03 pm
good, never liked brown
Psyber wrote:Are the Greens about to have a brief peak then self-destruct, like the Democrats did after the rational and restraining John Coulter retired?
Who will play the role of Cheryl Turncoat, and who will be Gareth Evans?
I think that was the last step, not the main cause of their decline.Leaping Lindner wrote:You're thinking of Meg "there will be no GST" Lees. No GST until John Howard made her feel really special for two seconds and then just like magic "One GST - No Democrats."Psyber wrote:Are the Greens about to have a brief peak then self-destruct, like the Democrats did after the rational and restraining John Coulter retired?
Who will play the role of Cheryl Turncoat, and who will be Gareth Evans?
The Greens may become a more attractive pro-environmental party to the broad public if the socialists left and formed their own Socialist Party.Sojourner wrote:Rumour has it not all is well between the Environment Wing of the Greens and the Socialist Wing of the Greens, it appears some on the environmental side enjoy capitalism a little too much....
Leaping Lindner wrote:The Greens have no credibility unlikethe two major parties. This week proves how above reproach they BOTH are.
I agree basic dental health care should be covered under the Medicare umbrella.Leaping Lindner wrote:More looney ideas from the Greens. Fancy affordable dental care. That's crazy talk.
http://greensmps.org.au/content/petitio ... e-medicare
Psyber wrote:I agree basic dental health care should be covered under the Medicare umbrella.Leaping Lindner wrote:More looney ideas from the Greens. Fancy affordable dental care. That's crazy talk.
http://greensmps.org.au/content/petitio ... e-medicare
The problem is the potential cost scares the Hell out of both major parties, and so they both duck it.
I suspect they are a bit frightened there may then develop a public demand for minor cosmetic work like straightening teeth to be covered.
We have recently had a partial scheme where there was some Medicare funding if a GP certified the dental condition was complicating the person's general health.
GPs found it a bit uncomfortable, though, when people went to the Dentist and later fronted the GP wanting a retrospective referral under this provision when there was no longer anything to see.
All the Dentists I've spoken to want nothing to do with any form of billing Medicare directly - they can see where it has gotten GPs.
So they never got accused of "overservicing" and audited if they did more than the statistical average number of long consultations (with patients with mental health issues for example), or ran into the problem of being presumed guilty of fraud if there were any clerical errors in the bulk-billing? These are the things GPs express frustration about on medical fora.Leaping Lindner wrote: I use to work at a bulk billing clinic and the seven doctors I worked with over that time never had an issue with bulk billing and in fact still bulk bill to this day. Mind you the practice was in St Kilda not South Yarra.
Psyber wrote:So they never got accused of "overservicing" and audited if they did more than the statistical average number of long consultations (with patients with mental health issues for example), or ran into the problem of being presumed guilty of fraud if there were any clerical errors in the bulk-billing? These are the things GPs express frustration about on medical fora.Leaping Lindner wrote: I use to work at a bulk billing clinic and the seven doctors I worked with over that time never had an issue with bulk billing and in fact still bulk bill to this day. Mind you the practice was in St Kilda not South Yarra.
One of my old friends (a long-term ALP member and one time candidate) got found guilty and fined after trusting his secretary, and just signing the chits she filled out.
Interestingly, she was the main witness against him, and was currently on charges from her next job as a cashier at a major hotel, but that didn't help him.
Of course, if those who bulk-bill are careful to stick to official policy these experiences can be avoided, but any deviation for patient benefit attracts attention.
I got quizzed once by Medicare by phone about he fact that I'd done a few vitamin level assays.
But they couldn't say much and didn't audit me when I pointed out 4 of the 6 had toxic Vitamin A levels proven by the tests and one of the others was mildly elevated.
GPs started to drift away from bulk-billing in the early 2000s but when the statistics showed the dip Medicare introduced the 100% MBS fee instead of the previous 85% for bulk-billing pensioners and children, and the Practice Incentive Payment system.
(They don't care whether specialists bulk-bill as it doesn't affect the statistics much - so it is still 85% and no PIP there.)