The Federal Government is reviewing the medical insurance laws it put in place following the 2002 collapse of major provider UMP. It is considering the need for minimum levels of indemnity coverage that doctors now face, and also whether those standards should be extended to other health professionals.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) wants the Government to apply the same standards to all classes of health professionals. Currently only doctors are subject to the laws, with nurses, midwives and other professionals falling outside the coverage regime.

Andrew Pesce, Chair of the AMA’s Professional Medical Indemnity Task Force, says all health professionals should have the same requirements imposed on them.

He says that given midwives can be subject to claims as significant as any obstetrician’s, it makes sense to demand similar coverage across the health services.

Extending the coverage of the laws will, of course, bring the issue of affordability into question.

Following the collapse of UMP, many doctors struggled to arrange the appropriate level of cover from the commercial sector. The Government was forced to step in to provide subsidies for doctors purchasing the appropriate level of cover.

“It was difficult for us and I’m sure it will be difficult for them,” Dr Pesce said.