Medicare under fire

HALF of all pregnant women are facing out-of-pocket expenses averaging $142 for a standard pregnancy ultrasound because Medicare rebates have not been increased for 20 years.

Lung cancer patients are paying gap fees of up to $785 for scans they need for a diagnosis, bowel cancer patients face gaps of $688 and breast cancer patients pay $447.

One in 10 scans for pensioners are not bulk-billed.

Doctors will this week launch an unprecedented national TV advertising campaign demanding a rise in Medicare rebates for X-rays and scans to slash the out-ofpocket costs.

Australian Bureau of Statstics figures show 300,000 patients a year don’t have scans ordered by their doctors because they can’t afford them and they miss out on a diagnosis.