The New Year will be an especially difficult time for many people with mental health issues.
Starting January 1, the federal government ended a program that increased access to treatments subsidized under Medicare from 20 per calendar year to the pre-pandemic limit of 10.
Many mental health professionals, such as Matt Berriman, chairman of Mental Health Australia, have condemned the decision, claiming it puts at risk many vulnerable people who will not be able to afford treatment. .
According to them, the pandemic is still weighing on people’s mental health, and 10 sessions are not enough to deal with complex issues.
Health Minister Mark Butler justified the decision, citing an independent review by experts from the University of Melbourne.
The additional sessions primarily benefited people in socially advantaged groups because they were already much more likely to receive mental health treatment.
People living in affluent neighborhoods spend about 40% more Medicare per capita on mental health than those living in lower-income neighborhoods, according to a 2020 study by the Grattan Institute I understand.
On the other hand, the move to the 20-session limit attracted few new patients from disadvantaged groups, even though they were probably under more stress during the pandemic.
Ian Hickey, co-director of the Brain and Mind Center at the University of Sydney, said the extra sessions exacerbated inequalities because there weren’t enough psychiatrists and psychologists to meet the extra demand. It’s even possible.
Mental health professionals were drawn into private practice in affluent neighborhoods where they could charge copays, and away from more equitably distributed public health programs.
