This appeared last week:
Fiscal challenge! ADHA funding due to expire
My Health Record and the aged care PIP are also among the core federal health programs that lack secure funding.
Health Minister Mark Butler may have been in the job for two months, but he’s still learning something new every day.
Often that’s a seemingly permanent health program with funding due to expire within 12 months.
“A whole lot of ongoing health programs that I certainly thought were funded right through the forward estimates in the budget are not funded,” the Health Minister told delegates at the AMA National Conference.
These weren’t obscure programs, either.
“The after hours [Practice Incentive] Program is not funded beyond June next year, the aged care incentive … is not funded beyond next year,” he said.
“Then there’s a whole range of other very big programs – the Australian Digital Health Agency? Not funded beyond next year. My Health Record? Not funded beyond next year.”
These programs, Mr Butler said, “are just core business for the health sector”.
“That’s going to be a budget challenge that I’m going to face over the next several months,” he said.
While Mr Butler said that health reform funding would likely shape the 2023 budget, he also flagged that Australia is in a tough place financially.
“The budget is in very difficult circumstances in terms of the existing debt and deficit,” he said.
More here:
https://medicalrepublic.com.au/fiscal-challenge-adha-funding-due-to-expire/74190
The real issue is to wonder if this is just a beat up on behalf of a bored journalist at the Medical Republic or if the funding of the ADHA and the #myHR are actually under re-assessment and review!
To me it seems unlikely that there would be a hard stop to funding in just a few months, but rather that a wind down phase of these 2 initiatives will commence in a few months and wrap up in a year or two. Presumably this outcome to any review will be announced in the Budget papers later in this year or maybe in next-years routine Budget in May 2023.
We all also know that the Federal Budget situation is pretty dire and that the new Government is looking for maximal savings!
Clearly we will all take a close look at the Budget Papers when they are released but in the meantime if any-one has any ‘under the table news’ feel free to pass it on!
I can’t believe there are many who
read here who reckon we are getting ‘value for money’ out of what is being
spent now!
Comments and intelligence welcome!
David.
3 comments:
That COVIDSafe is being put out of our misery might be part of a greater plan.
Maybe the extra funding to Accenture for the MyHR is to train Services Australia staff to take over operations. Then they can just disband the ADHA by absorbing ADHA staff who wish to stay into other areas and quietly let the MyHR stagnate and die. Accenture may be asked to provide a download function so that patients who want a copy can get it. CSV format should be OK.
I doubt that phasing out MyHR/ADHA will be much of an election issue. Saving money will be.
About value for money, It will be very difficult for ADHA to claim there has been any value.
Well, those in charge just signed away another $100M to adventure, and the CDO had been put to pasture - run out is the pat was far to high and was not part of the CEO circle.
Nothing is going anywhere, it is simply becoming part of the machine.
Hi David
it's neither a beat up (although we do love a beat up David) nor do we at Med Republic have any intel that things are under review. On spec , it's politics from the new health minister mostly. Saying there is no money to fund the ADHA or the My Health Record after march next year is playing games...that both are only funded to that point in time and not in the long term estimates has always been perfectly accessible public information. As you surmise, its hardly likely they are going to shelve both in quick time and likely that Treasury has their funding pencilled in. But they are reviewing everything so you can only hope they review the value for money they are getting with both, which isn't a lot of value. This week we hear Accenture is getting another $100m to keep the MyHealthRecord going another three years...which doesn't sound like anyone is really reviewing value much on either the ADHA or the My Health Record. We live in hope though. Jeremy (med republic)
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