The AMA, given the understanding between the lower price of SGBM listed in PL, which has already been achieved under the PL reform and the Memorandum of Understanding (MTAA) between the Federal Government and the Australian Medical Technology Association (MTAA), Australian public prices, which reflect a competitive market, should be the default PL profit for these devices. Additionally, clinicians should be free to determine the number of SGBMs needed to address the individual patient’s needs and specific clinical situations.
The submission also points out that the surgical guides and biomodels covered by this consultation reflect only a small fraction of the SGBM that clinicians use on a daily basis in many Australian specialties. It warns that PL appears to be slowing down current practices.
Finally, the AMA submission argues that extreme care must be taken to ensure that PL reforms proposed by private health insurance companies do not have the unintended consequences of putting the private health sector in a disadvantaged position compared to public hospitals, and undermine the valuable position of private health insurance.
