This is the real deal when it comes down to where we stand. I have no understanding why our premium would be anything like that of an Obstetrician. Plus up to now we have sucessfully been practicing without any insurance at all so what is the fuss about now?
From the Australian
SUBSIDISING indemnity payments for midwives could cost taxpayers an estimated $12 million to $24 million annually if the federal Government were to treat them as favourably as specialist obstetricians.
Insurance experts warned yesterday that despite public perceptions that mothers who delivered their babies with a midwife faced fewer risks, premiums to insure midwives against bad outcomes were likely to be similar to those faced by obstetricians — who can pay from $60,000 to $100,000 a year for their policies.
The price estimate creates another potential hurdle for the Government’s efforts to ease pressure on maternity services, and to open up a bigger role for midwives.
Midwifery advocates are warning that without government intervention on indemnity, private midwives and hundreds of homebirths each year will be driven underground because practising uninsured will no longer be legal from mid-2010.
The federal Government’s recent Maternity Services Review said the lack of indemnity cover would hold back the expansion of collaborative midwifery services, and recommended the Government consider giving “support” to ensure cover was available for midwives.
However, it fell short of recommending indemnity subsidies to cover midwife-led homebirths, which it described as too controversial and the insurance too expensive.
Paul Nisselle, general manager of clinical risk management for Avant, Australia’s largest medical insurer, said there was “no particular reason why indemnity costs for independently practising midwives would be any different from independently practising obstetricians”.
Existing federal subsidies for obstetricians cut in when the premium cost exceeds 7.5 per cent of the doctor’s gross income. Above that threshold, the taxpayer picks up 80 per cent of the insurance cost.
Dr Nisselle said that if a midwife performed 100 deliveries a year and charged $2000 each, earning $200,000, a $45,000 premium would exceed the 7.5 per cent threshold by $30,000.
My god, I want to meet this super midwife!
If midwives were granted the same deal as obstetricians, the subsidy would amount to $24,000 per midwife.
Official estimates have suggested between 500 and 1000 midwives would be needed to take pressure off existing birthing services, creating a potential subsidy cost of up to $24 million.
No commercial insurer has offered cover to private midwives since the medical indemnity crisis of 2002-03. Dr Nisselle said medical insurers might be reluctant to fill the void for fear of alienating their own members, many of whom are at best cautious about independent midwifery.
However, Mandy Anderson, CEO of the rival Medical Insurance Group Australia, said her fund might be interested, and premiums might be up to 80 per cent lower than Dr Nisselle suggested.
Barbara Vernon, executive officer of the Australian College of Midwives, said the problem needed addressing but the Government had a range of other options, such as capping midwives’ liability, and providing cover itself, as the Northern Territory Government had already done.
I have a few questions about this.
- Why do they think they are widening the role of midwives? We have an international definition and at the moment every opportunity to practice within that scope. Medicare provider numbers and prescribing rights are important for equality of the professions and convenient but not necessary. If they make us illegal then it won’t matter, midwives in the system don’t need either of these things.
- Why is there such a lack of understanding of our practice? What midwife could do 100 births a year. Please let me know if you are out there you need a bloody medal and I’m damn sure you haven’t a home either so maybe I could offer you accommodation too.
- Is this the best statement the college could give out? I am more and more depressed every day by them.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RIGHT TO CHOSE? At the moment women can birth at home with an independent midwife who has no insurance. They can also chose not to. I have a very busy practice. Insurance has never been an issue for a client of mine.
- Do you
Homebirth? Share this post with your friends - Recommend on Facebook
- Buzz it up
- Share with Stumblers
- Tweet about it
Related posts:
yes Lisa – I had to laugh when I read that about ’100 deliveries’. Perhaps the writer of the article could have spoken to a midwife when researching the piece.
And how about “Official estimates have suggested between 500 and 1000 midwives would be needed to take pressure off existing birthing services”. haha! One midwife providing primary care takes pressure off existing birthing services. So in stead of letting the (officially) estimated 150 independent midwives continue to take pressure off existing services, the recommendation is that we be shut down. That sounds like increasing pressure on those services doesn’t it?
I expect that a midwife who performs “100 deliveries a year” (sic) would not have very happy clientele. It would preclude the very service that women go to independent midwives to receive – long consultations, personal service, a midwife who is available at all times when needed by the woman. I think I’d fire my midwife if she took on that many other clients, myself.