[LINK] Roxon revives smartcard plan

[Jan Whitaker]

At 09:47 AM 16/06/2009, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
>This smartcard plan is nothing like the access card project, so I don't
>know why they are using the term "revives".

It's the same thing in many regards, just that it's coming at it from 
a health info instead of entitlement angle. Storing emergency info, 
it's too small to carry health info directly so don't worry, mate, 
nothing bad here, move along, trust us, we're the government. Both 
have problems. And the potential (not sure if it's certain, but I've 
heard rumors since the new ehealth initiative began) linkage of the 
new card with Medicare, the finance/"insurance" arm, through 
administration is still a worry for it to become once again an 
entitlement card, therefore ACCESS Card, which is an ID card.

Did you know that you have no choice if you have a number assigned to 
you for this new system? That's been part of the design for a few 
years now. No opting out of that. The opting is about activation. And 
let's see what happens if you walk into a health provider and they 
say they canNOT treat you without access to your card. The UK is 
finding out about this right now after their implementation.

Not sure FUD is the way to put it. All the plans are pretty much out 
there to see, at least as late as 2007, on the NeHTA website. The 
latest documents are NOT in the public view yet. Watch this space. 
I've heard black and white opposite answers to questions I've posed 
to various people involved in this. I don't think they yet know 
themselves what they are going to do, or else they don't think it's 
necessary to provide consistent answers. The one I've continually 
asked about is whether there will be one central database into which 
everyone's health records will be deposited. It seems to change with 
the whim of the NeHTA CEO of the time.

I've been to a few large group briefings/discussions and there was 
another one recently that I did not attend. But the reports I've had 
about the process hasn't changed. The room is about 1/2 NeHTA staff, 
1/4 bureaucrats, and the remainder health providers and consumers. 
The deck is often stacked. I sat at one table where this ratio 
existed. It was very difficult to be taken seriously.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

Our truest response to the irrationality of the world is to paint or 
sing or write, for only in such response do we find truth.
~Madeline L'Engle, writer

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