Health and Wellness Informatics News
The Australian government is restoring the telehealth subsidy.
The program benefitted the rural population a lot. Also, it is happening with the help of funding and support.
The Australian government came under pressure because of the telehealth subsidy. The effects of these video sessions spread like wildfire in Australia. Now, the government is keen on restoring the telehealth subsidy. Also, it is happening for a lot of video telehealth psychiatry consultations. However, an investment of 30 million dollars came in to fund this restoration.
This telehealth subsidy extended its benefits to rural populations primarily. The patients suffering from mental health issues got saved by telehealth. The subsidy was important for rural mental health patients. However, access will get restored for these people by November. They can also avail of telehealth services from November as well.
The patients can access free online telehealth subsidy benefits. It is also because the latest funding is quite broad and strong. The funding is enough to complement 50 percent of the fees for these services. Video telehealth offers Medicare Benefits Schedule or MBS psychiatry services. They are bulk billed, so the funding can push them to offer free services.
Australia is a unique case to study. There are more mental health problems in the rural and regional parts of Australia. The urban areas of Australia report fewer problematic cases of mental health disorders. The rural population of Australia has higher rates of depression and other disorders. Despite the clear data, there are very few services available for them.
The previous government discontinued this program. The support got snapped for about 128 telehealth MBS services. The banned services included free online consultations. The consultations were also online and particularly for the rural population. This forced many patients to pay fees. Some even stopped their treatments.
Fiona Phillips is a parliament member from Gilmore. She believes that telehealth has great benefits. Having it again will improve the condition of many. Health Minister Mark Butler also said that many factors had taken a toll on people’s mental health. This telehealth subsidy seems to be the backbone of Australia as of now.
