Health scheme failings

IF something sparks action from a million Australians, leaders need to stand up and take notice.

In the case of the My Health Record, the Federal Government has failed to bring much of Australia along for the ride, with close to a million Australians opting out of the scheme and a survey showing almost half the population were unaware the Government was going to create a health record for them.

Part of this confusion and non-acceptance can be attributed to the Government’s decision not to run any sort of campaign that might educate the community or allay any fears surrounding privacy and the rollout of the scheme.

There was no major newspaper or radio campaign explaining the online record, nor any mailout or letters sent directly to residents outlining the details of the new scheme.

So, it is hardly surprising the My Health Record rollout has been far from smooth and has raised red flags with many Australians, particularly in regards to fears of loss of privacy.

Now there is some suggestion the Government could consider tying participation in the My Health Record to the Medicare scheme, raising fears that those who opt out of My Health will no longer qualify for Medicare benefits.

This sort of two-tiered system cannot be allowed to happen. It is one thing to take away the ability to opt out of the system and force all Australians to participate. But you cannot penalise those people who most likely cannot afford to fund their health care without Medicare, purely for exercising their right to opt out under the system.

If total buy-in truly is critical to My Health, the Government needs to decide if it is going to adopt an all or nothing approach, and, to that end, delaying the rollout of the scheme may be prudent.

But at the very least it needs to learn that it is far better to get on the front foot and inform the country about a new program properly in the first place, rather than to try to fix a PR mess after the fact.