Do older people receive equitable private psychiatric service provision under Medicare?

The objective of this study is to determine the 1998 rates, types, regional variation and Medicare expenditure of private psychiatry services for older people in Australia, as compared with younger adults and with 1985-1986 data.

Medicare Benefits Schedule Item Statistics for the psychiatric item numbers 300-352 and item 14224 were obtained from the Health Insurance Commission for each State and Territory. The items were examined in the age groups 15-64 years, 65 years and over and 75 years and over. Main outcome measures were per capita service provision by age group, State and Territory and Medicare expenditure by age group.

During 1998, 6.4% (5765.6 per 100 000) of private psychiatric services were to patients aged > 64 years. Patients aged 15-64 received 2.7 times the number of psychiatric services per capita than patients > 64 and 3.6 times that of patients aged > 74 years. Patients aged > 64 received more hospital and nursing home consultations, home visits and electroconvulsive therapy per capita, while younger adults used more office-based consultations, longer consultations, and group therapy. Victoria had the highest per capita rate (7659.2 per 100 000) and the Northern Territory the lowest (540.4 per 100 000), although the highest proportion of services to older patients was in Western Australia. Per capita the proportion of Medicare expenditure allocated to adults aged less than 65 years was 4.1 times that for adults over 64 years.

Private psychiatric service provision to older people is inequitable when compared with younger adults. The proportion of Medicare private psychiatry expenditure on older adults has declined since 1985-1986.