To the Editor: The current political debate on health reform has made no mention of the 300 000 people who were identified by the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission as facing “stark health inequalities”.1 We refer to people with intellectual disability, who face a life expectancy 5–20 years shorter than people in the general population, substantial unmet health needs and significant barriers to getting these needs met.
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- 1. National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. A healthier future for all Australians — National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission final report June 2009. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2009. http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/nhhrc-report (accessed May 2010).
- 2. Marmot M (Chairman). Fair society, healthy lives. Strategic review of health inequalities in England post-2010 (the Marmot Review). London: The Marmot Review, 2010: 15. http://www.marmotreview.org/AssetLibrary/pdfs/Reports/FairSocietyHealthyLives.pdf (accessed May 2010, link updated Jul 2010)
- 3. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. The changes to Medicare primary care items. A fact sheet for general practitioners. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2010. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mbsprimarycare-changes-to-medicare-primary-care-items-for-gps (accessed Jun 2010).
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Nicholas Lennox is the developer of the Comprehensive Health Assessment Program, a copyright product of the University of Queensland, the licence for which is distributed between the University and Professor Lennox.