PHNs... Will they be good for our health?
Health Voices, Issue 16, April 2015
Submission to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry into the Availability of new, innovative and specialist cancer drugs in Australia
This submission into the Availability of new, innovative and specialist cancer drugs in Australia draws on the experiences of our members and consumer representatives in assessing the availability and effectiveness of medicines in Australia, and in particular the operation of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Submission to Review of Complementary Medicines - Expert Review of Medicines and Medical Devices Regulation
The definitive goal of this review of the regulatory framework should be the safety and quality of complementary medicines in Australia. Any new framework must carefully balance the risk to consumer safety and consumer choice concerns.
Consumers Shaping Health, vol 9, issue 2, April 2015
CHF's new CEO; Pharmacy deal in urgent need of new script; Health Minister Ley: 'above all, consumer-focused'; Now co-pay is cremated, time to revive Medicare; Asthma Australia conference; In sickness and in health; Why do I even need this test?; "Frequent flyer" claim shown to be a sick joke for many patients; AHHA Think Tank on Reform of the Federation and Health; Life Saving Drugs Programme Review
Consumers Shaping Health, vol 9, issue 1, February 2015
Nothing about us, without us!;Tackling obesity: Australia wants change; Price Signals and Health Hazards; Federal Government must not send medicines safety checks offshore; Thanks and farewell to Adam; The costs of chronic illness; Would you like to be part of Consumers Shaping Health?; Problems with Federal/State buck-passing?
Submission to the Federal Treasurer on the 2015-16 Federal Budget
The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) is the national peak body representing the
interests of Australian healthcare consumers. CHF works to achieve safe, quality, timely healthcare
for all Australians, supported by accessible health information and systems. CHF welcomes the
opportunity to provide a submission to the Federal Treasurer to inform the 2015-16 Federal Budget.
In the last year there has been much discussion around the Government’s desire to reduce
expenditure and health has been a target of these discussions, with many statements about the
unsustainability of Medicare and a looming blowout in health expenditure.
Submission to the Review of Medicines and Medical Devices
CHF considers this review to be of critical importance to every Australian health consumer.
Consumers consistently raise with us their concerns about the safety and quality of medicines,
giving details of personal experiences of when the safety regime has failed them. With this in mind,
CHF strongly believes that the safety and quality of therapeutic goods in Australia should be the
ultimate goal of this regulatory framework.
Health Voices, Issue 15, October 2014
eHealth: the future is now
Submission to Review of After Hours Primary Care
CHF supports that any health care service be based on the principles of consumer-centred healthcare and that it considers the patient, their carer and family. The key principles of consumercentred healthcare are inclusive of safety and quality issues, cost and sustainability.
Submission to Inquiry into PBS Co-payment
CHF has strongly opposed policies that increase consumer out-of-pocket costs through the imposition of new or increased co-payments. We have raised these concerns consistently through previous submissions to Senate Committee inquiries. CHF’s commissioned research on out-ofpocket costs highlights many of the complex and negative aspects of co-payments in health care. Our call to address the rising consumer burden of healthcare in Australia is supported by this consumer- centred research.