AMA President Highlights Health Reform, Costs, and Genetic Testing Protections in Latest Update

AMA President Highlights Health Reform, Costs, and Genetic Testing Protections in Latest Update

10 Apr 2026

In a light opening message, the AMA President reflected on the Easter break and upcoming commitments, including an address to the National Press Club in Canberra, which will be broadcast nationally. The speech is expected to focus on challenges and strengths in Australia’s health system and potential reform directions.

The President also recently spoke at the Australian Financial Review Health Summit in Sydney, where healthcare costs were a central topic. The AMA highlighted that patient out-of-pocket costs are influenced by multiple system factors, including policy settings across general practice, specialist care, and hospital services.

As part of its reform agenda, the AMA has released an online resource titled The gaps that create gaps, which examines structural issues and policy failures that contribute to rising out-of-pocket costs. The organisation argues that lack of reform often leads to blame-shifting rather than addressing system-level causes.

The AMA identified several areas for potential government action, including increasing the long-standing “known gap” limit, which has been frozen at $500 and not indexed, and establishing a Private Health System Authority to improve transparency and long-term reform.

A major focus remains proposed changes to the Medical Costs Finder website. The AMA has reiterated concerns about plans to publish a single annual “average fee” for each doctor, arguing it may not reflect the complexity of care or provide fair information for patients.

The association also raised concerns about the lack of a clear process for correcting inaccurate data or addressing potential reputational harm to practitioners if incorrect information is published.

The AMA is calling for further consultation to ensure the changes genuinely improve consumer understanding rather than repeating issues seen in the current system.

Separately, the AMA welcomed the passage of legislation preventing life insurance companies from discriminating against individuals based on genetic testing results. The organisation said the change supports patient access to genetic testing without fear of insurance consequences.

The President concluded by thanking members for their ongoing work in patient care.

https://www.ama.com.au/

Source: Australian Medical Association (AMA) President’s Update

 
 

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