Abstract:
RECENT State and Federal Auditor-General reports reveal gross wastage of public money in the health system due to medi-fraud, over-servicing and the work practices of medical specialists. There are significant numbers of doctors rorting Medicare of millions of dollars, affecting the accessibility, equity and quality of the public health system. In 1982, the Department of Health estimated the extent of medical fraud as $100 million: 7 per cent of health expenditure. The AMA agreed with this figure. The estimate is considered a conservative one, but using this as a guide, the 1992 figure would be almost $500 million in fraud and over-servicing from Medicare, Medibank Private and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The cost of medi-fraud to Australia is far greater than street crime and burglaries, yet it has attracted scant attention.
Details / PDF:
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