MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall announced that from tomorrow patients from across the region who must travel to access high-quality medical care will receive significantly more financial assistance, with a boost to the Isolated Patients Transport and Accommodation Assistance Scheme (IPTAAS).
“Significantly boosting IPTAAS to provide more support to rural and regional patients was an election commitment and I’m delighted to see it fulfilled,” Mr Marshall said.
“I know people from the right across the Northern Tablelands will benefit greatly from these increases. IPTAAS is highly-valued and heavily-relied on, with more than 53,000 claims from across the state last year.
“These changes will provide further financial relief and comfort to remote, rural and regional patients and their families during challenging times.”
Enhancements to IPTAAS taking effect tomorrow include:
• a 15% increase in the fuel subsidy from 19 cents to 22 cents per kilometre;
• an increase in the commercial accommodation subsidy for eight to 14 night stays:
from $43 to $80 – an 86% boost (single room) per night
from $60 to $105 – a 75% jump (double room) per night
• an increase in the commercial accommodation subsidy for 15 night-plus stays:
from $43 to $105 – a 144% boost (single room) per night
from $60 to $120 – a 100% jump (double room) per night
• the patient co-payment of $40 will be reduced to $30 – and capped at a total of four co-payments per financial year. The co-payment is levied on each claim submitted by patients who are not pensioners or health care cardholders. It is levied weekly for patients travelling a cumulative total of 200km per week.
• travel for prosthetic/orthotic services from qualified practitioners will now be eligible for IPTAAS as the first part of a move to subsidise travel to access certain highly specialised allied health services.
“The increase to IPTAAS accommodation subsidies is designed to provide greatest assistance to those patients and their families who face the highest out-of-pocket costs, most notably those who stay for long periods in commercial accommodation,” he said.
Other changes to IPTAAS introduced by the NSW Government include simplified paperwork and the creation of a dedicated 1800-number to streamline patient and carer enquiries.
Mr Marshall said the government would continue further system improvement to make claims easier to lodge and to reduce the time taken to process claims and reimburse patients.
To learn more about IPTAAS subsidies, visit www.IPTAAS.health.nsw.gov.au or call 1800 478 227.