Veterans are being forced to pay for healthcare that should be free as GPs opt out
by Melissa Davey Medical editor from World news | The Guardian on (#698YW)
Some clinics not accepting the gold card that entitles war veterans to free healthcare as rebates fail to keep up with cost of delivering care
Roughly 90% of Dr Kerry Summerscales' patients are veterans, with some of them travelling to her clinic in Mackay, on Queensland's east coast, from as far away as Victoria in their desperation to find a GP who will provide quality, subsidised care.
Summerscales is one of the diminishing number of GPs accepting veteran white cards, which entitles the holder to treatment for injuries and conditions the department of veterans affairs (DVA) accepts were incurred during service.
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