Advocating for our community
On 25 July, the Foundation provided a submission to the Productivity Commission’s inquiry which seeks to identify sectors within human services that need reform. The inquiry is focusing on increased competition, contestability and informed consumer choice.
The Foundation’s submission included the following recommendations to improve access, affordability and choice for consumers:
1. Review of Centrelink procedures
- Be more consumer-centric
- Provide adequate staffing/staff training
- Improve the use of technology
- Better flexibility of service delivery.
2. Implement low vision initiatives, such as:
- Establish a nationally funded, state administered low vision aids program
- Increase contestability of low vision services, especially in rural and remote areas.
3. Increase public (outpatient) treatment options for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy for those who cannot afford private care.
4. Change the Private Health Insurance law to allow reimbursement for in-rooms treatment for certain conditions, such as wet (neovascular) age-related macular degeneration.
The Productivity Commission will release a preliminary findings report in September 2016, which will outline its preliminary views on the services that would be best suited to reform, and will invite comments on this report.
Posted: 1 August 2016
Life changing, art changing diagnosis of AMD
When Victorian artist Di Lockwood started seeing distortion, she didn’t realise it was actually a symptom of age-related macular degeneration.
