Catholic Health Australia (CHA) is urging all political parties and candidates to put health and aged care at the forefront of their campaigns after the Prime Minister called the election today.
The peak body is calling for reforms to ensure all Australians have access to quality, affordable, and sustainable healthcare, whether they live in a capital city, a rural town or a remote area.
"This election campaign is a chance to outline real reform in health and aged care, ensuring private hospitals remain viable, public hospitals attract appropriate investment, aged care residents receive quality and sustainable care, and regional communities are not left behind," said CHA CEO Jason Kara.
CHA is calling for policies to improve the sustainability of private hospitals, including moving towards a National Private Price and reforming the private health insurance premium round.
"Private hospitals are crucial in reducing the burden on the public system but many services are being forced to close due to insufficient funding," said Mr Kara.
Aged care
In aged care, CHA's proposed reforms include strengthening hardship provisions to ensure people don't miss out under the new Aged Care Act.
"The accommodation supplement for aged care residents in financial hardship must be increased and processing times for hardship applications must be reduced to prevent delays in essential care," said Mr Kara.
"We also need a staged six-month transition to the Support at Home program to ensure providers are ready for the new system."
Meanwhile, greater support is needed for both hospitals and aged care services in regional and remote areas.
"About one in three Australians live outside a capital city, yet they face greater barriers to care. We need urgent investment to ensure regional and rural communities receive the same quality and choice of care as everyone else," Mr Kara said.
Palliative care
CHA is also calling on policymakers to expand funding and improve access to palliative care, build more social housing and support hospitals to become more environmentally sustainable.
"As Catholics, human dignity, social justice and the common good are central to our advocacy, especially during elections," said Mr Kara.
"A measure of a healthy society is that we support people to flourish, regardless of their background, and particularly in times when people are sick, frail and vulnerable. This election we shouldn't accept issues like the health and care for our most vulnerable being ignored in public policy debate."
Health Policy Priorities
Ensure the long-term viability of private hospitals
Reform private health insurance
Expand access to mental health services
Improve maternity services
Address workforce shortages
A new NHRA Amendment that is fit for purpose
Aged Care Policy Priorities
Tackle aged care workforce shortages
Address risks to the success of the reform
Support aged care providers in rural areas
Strengthen support for home-based aged care
Enhance hardship provisions in aged care
Implement long-stay reforms to reduce bed block
Mission-Driven Priorities
Expand funding and improve access to palliative care
Address homelessness by increasing investment in social housing
Improve Indigenous health outcomes by closing the gap
Support the health and aged care sectors to become more environmentally sustainable
