More funding needed for 15m Aussies with chronic conditions

Nearly half of all Australians have one or more chronic disease, but inadequate Medicare rebates are putting healthcare out of reach, according to a new RACGP submission.
 
Delivered in response to a proposed refresh of the National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions, the RACGP said patients with complex conditions need more time with GPs than current funding levels can provide – especially in the context of spiralling healthcare inflation.
 
Speaking out in support of the submission, RACGP President Dr Nicole Higgins said governments need to invest more in prevention and management in primary care, so people don’t end up in hospital.
 
‘The cost of providing care has been increasing significantly,’ she said.
 
‘The rebate is the amount the Government pays to subsidise healthcare for Australians, and in the current cost-of-living crisis it’s more important than ever that government subsidies cover the cost of providing care, so it’s affordable for everyone.
 
‘But after decades of underfunding of general practice care, including the 10-year Medicare freeze, today’s rebates don’t come close to the real-life cost of providing care across Australia.’
 
The latest consumer price index update shows health inflation rose 6.1% in the 12 months to April – higher than any other category, aside from alcohol and tobacco, and insurance and financial services. Medical and hospital services were the main contributor to the rise. 
 
In Australia, an estimated 15.4 million (61%) people were living with at least one long-term health condition in 2022. This ranged from 28% of people aged 0–14 to 94% aged 85 and over.
 
Mental health issues and back problems are the most common chronic conditions, and people living in low socioeconomic areas experience the majority of all chronic conditions.
 
‘The greatest burden of chronic illness is experienced by disadvantaged groups, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and those living in rural and remote communities,’ Dr Higgins said.
 
‘Government policies and decisions must work to close the gap for these groups.’
 
The college says GPs’ ability to effectively deliver equitable care is ‘challenged by the limitations of funding models, inadequate guidelines and fragmented healthcare systems built around single-disease states’.
 
‘Patient-centred, not disease-focused care gets the best outcomes,’ the submission states.
 
‘Patients often present with multiple, not single conditions. Single disease-specific guidelines/plans for chronic diseases do not adequately address the assessment and management of patients with multimorbidity.
 
‘Multimorbidity requires GPs and their teams to undertake greater care planning and service coordination due to the complexity of the patient’s health conditions.’
 
The RACGP outlined a number of recommendations to support multidisciplinary care teams in its 2024–25 Pre-Budget submission.
 
Implementing best practice multidisciplinary care teams ‘will enable coordinated, continuous whole of person care,’ it states, with the full benefits achieved within a primary care team providing enhanced, not fragmented, scope of care for the patient.
 
Dr Higgins again emphasised the importance of this model to support the college’s input to the revised chronic conditions framework.
 
‘Health policy and funding must support a patient-centred approach and multidisciplinary team care – this gets the best health outcomes,’ she said.
 
‘Multidisciplinary team care is when GPs are supported to work together with other specialists, allied health and other primary care professionals to get the best outcomes for the patient.’
 
Following a review of the National Strategic Framework for Chronic Conditions, a refresh is now underway using feedback from key stakeholder consultation, to determine an overarching policy for chronic conditions in Australia.
 
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