Insurance Shifts
Some industry observers are saying that varicose vein treatments will become
less affordable for elderly patients on Medicare in Australia. It is being
said that private treatment for venous disease is likely to be difficult for
the budgets of pensioners, leaving many of the 40 million people plagued
with gnarled veins quite unhappy.
WA Today said, "In this week's federal budget the Government capped safety
net payments for particular varicose vein remedies, saying doctors had
charged excessive fees. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon challenged
specialists to reduce their fees, saying most of the safety-net money was
going into doctors' pockets rather than reducing costs for patients."
Physicians in the field however have said that these increased prices at
private clinics were due to new, less invasive, efficient and effective
technologies and treatments in the industry. And that physicians were not
pocketing the extra money.
