A Pillar Moment in Protecting Accessible Cataract Surgery

 

In November 2009, the ASO, in collaboration with the Independent Ophthalmic Network (ION), launched the hard-hitting “Grandma’s Not Happy” radio campaign to raise alarm at the proposed halving of the Medicare rebate for cataract surgery.

Why it Mattered

Cataract surgery is one of the most effective sight-restoring procedures available, especially for older Australians. The Federal Government’s proposed cut would have reduced the Medicare patient rebate from around AUD $623 to AUD $312 for most patients, making surgery substantially less affordable.
Beyond the numbers, the implications were stark: an increased financial burden for seniors, longer waiting lists, and a risk that the public system would become the only option for many — with consequent delays and reduced quality of life.

 

What the Campaign Did

• ASO and ION flooded national radio with the “Grandma’s Not Happy” spots, designed to amplify public concern and shine a spotlight on what was at stake.
• The campaign triggered an outpouring of community response, emails, calls and social pressure, from patients, seniors’ organisations, rural health advocates and ophthalmologists alike.
• The Government counter-attacked with a YouTube video accusing eye specialists of conducting a “dishonest scare campaign” to protect their incomes — missing the bigger picture of access and affordability.

ASO’s President at the time, Dr Russell Bach, told Mivision the government was painting the field as “greedy”, and wasn’t thinking of the patients at risk.

“The reason they’ve taken the insulting line of painting ophthalmologists as being greedy is they’ve got no other good reason to actually justify the decision they’ve taken; so they’ve resorted to the oldest trick in the book and that’s to say that doctors are greedy.”

Dr Bach expressed that the campaign was not just about protecting specialist incomes, but it was about protecting patients’ ability to access sight-restoring surgery without onerous out-of-pocket costs or being forced into the public system with long wait times.

 

The ASO helped template letters to then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and campaigned with flyers to paitents across Australia

 

 

 

Outcome & Legacy

In a last-minute move, the Government conceded by introducing a higher rebate for what it deemed “complex” cataract surgeries (40 minutes or more) at around AUD $850.75.
However, ASO rejected the change as inadequate: the vast majority of patients (around 95 %) would still not benefit, and the solution did nothing to restore the original rebate for standard procedures.
ASO and the broader ophthalmology community viewed the episode as a warning shot — that Medicare rebate policy changes, if implemented without stakeholder engagement and careful consideration of patient access, could seriously erode service delivery and equity.

 

Why It Still Matters

• The campaign highlighted the importance of maintaining equitable access to surgical eye care, especially for older Australians and those in rural or remote communities.
• It reinforced the role of ASO as a patient-centred advocate, not just for clinicians, but for the integrity of ophthalmic service delivery.
• It served as a precedent: when changes to rebate structures are proposed, ASO stands ready to mobilise, to engage the community and to protect access to essential eye-care services.
• Today, as the population ages and demand for cataract surgery continues to grow, the principles underscored by “Grandma’s Not Happy” remain relevant: affordability, timely access, high quality outcomes and the safeguarding of clinician capacity to provide care across all settings.