Battle over cataract rebates to continue

Eye doctors say they were "summonsed" to Canberra by Health Minister Nicola Roxon
simply to be told the government wasn't going to back down on its cuts to the
Medicare rebate for cataract surgery.
Australian Society of Ophthalmologists president Brad Horsburgh says the two warring
sides are no closer to ending hostilities, which have flared following Labor's
decision to slash the rebate from $624 to $340.
Dr Horsburgh says despite the minister summonsing eye doctors to Canberra she wasn't
in a mood to compromise.
"It was very difficult at times and I don't think we made a lot of progress but at
least we're talking," Dr Horsburgh told reporters after the meeting on Thursday.
"Our position is to this point she's made assertions which are not based in fact.
"What we need is the prime minister to step in because this has been going on for
months."
Ms Roxon this week released figures showing Australian ophthalmologists are some of
the highest paid in the world, earning double what their counterparts in the United
States do.
She also released an email from an anaesthetist suggesting some eye specialists
earned up to $28,000 a day performing cataract surgery.
But Dr Horsburgh rubbished both assertions on Thursday.
The international figures didn't include data from New Zealand and the United
Kingdom, which had average fees above Australia's, he said.
Further, "general ophthalmologists" operated just one morning a week and conducted
just five procedures in that time.
Ms Roxon agreed the meeting hadn't exactly been fruitful.
"We met with the ophthalmologists this afternoon but unfortunately did not make much
progress," she said through a spokeswoman.
The battle will resume on Wednesday when the Senate is set to again disallow Labor's
lower Medicare rebate in an attempt to have the higher $624 refund reinstated.