Medicare link stirs My Health concerns
FEARS have emerged that Medicare benefits and medicine subsidies could be tied to having a controversial online My Health Record, as almost a million people rush to cancel their record.
The Federal Government is already requiring people to get a My Health Record to take part in trials of its GP funding system, Health Care Homes. It is unclear if all Australians will have to get the record when this new system switches from a trial to a nationwide scheme.
The policy has stoked concerns the record could become a requirement to obtain health benefits, such as Medicare rebates and medicine subsidies.
The Government has revealed more than 900,000 Australians have opted not to have a My Health Record as privacy and security concerns about the online record build.
And the Privacy Commissioner said she had investigated 88 data breaches related to the record since 2012.
These people could be caught out if Medicare benefits are linked to having a record and face tens of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical expenses if they refused in order to protect their privacy.
Former Australian Medical Association president Kerryn Phelps said the risk that a government might in future tie having a record to getting Medicare rebates was why the roll out must be delayed.
“These are the sorts of landmines I’m talking about when I said there needs to be at least 12 months delay before the opt-out period ends,” Professor Phelps said.
She said a judicial review was needed to air the unintended consequences of switching the record from an opt in to an opt out system.
Unless they opt out every Australian will get a My Health Record on November 16. The information can be accessed by a patient’s health care professional until the patient sets access controls.
Fewer than 1 per cent of people have set such controls.
Health Minister Greg Hunt described the claim Medicare benefits could be tied to the My Health record in the future as “completely and utterly false.” He said the opt out rate was far lower than expected.