FEARS pregnant women may pressure doctors to perform caesareans and
inductions early before the baby bonus is slashed to $3000 has prompted a
warning to the nation's obstetricians.
Families Minister Jenny Macklin has written to The Royal Australian
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists urging doctors to counsel women on
the risks of premature births. From July 1, 2013, the baby bonus will be
slashed from $5000 to $3000 for second and subsequent births in a Budget
savings measure.
The correspondence obtained by The Sunday Telegraph offers information
to doctors on a range of government payments to help counsel women against scheduling
caesareans to get extra cash. "I am conscious of the pressure that may be
placed on obstetricians and other medical staff to reschedule elective
procedures in the lead-up to the start date for the reduced rate of baby
bonus," Ms Macklin writes. "I know that the government and your
members share the concern that the health of mothers and babies remain the
paramount consideration in scheduling such procedures. "I have included a
fact sheet about those payments that your members may find useful when counseling
mothers about the risks they may face in attempting to qualify for the higher
rate of baby bonus."
With a normal pregnancy lasting about 40 weeks, the baby bonus changes
will affect women who conceived second and subsequent children from mid-September
to mid-October. But working women will still have access to the $10,000 paid
maternity scheme. Premature C-sections can increase the risk of babies
experiencing breathing difficulties according to some experts. When the baby
bonus was increased in the past, economist and author of Parentonomics Joshua
Gans found evidence that it did change birthing behaviour with women arranging
C-sections to secure extra cash. "There was strong evidence that it
impacted behaviour. And the evidence was all about planned birth timing, that
is caesars and inductions, which comprise a significant share of all
births," Mr Gans said.
"In 2004, 2006 and 2008 we were seeing increases in the baby bonus
so there was an incentive to delay births until after July 1 of those years. "But
$2000 is $2000 and so I suspect some people ... will end up having
conversations with their doctors as to whether they can have their babies on
June 30 rather than July 1. "Playing with timing decisions like this is
bad implementation of economic policies. Put the change in slowly (so there is
no particular date that is salient) or put it in immediately by surprise (so
there is no chance to bring births forward). "No one knows what the risks
of playing with birth timing really are."
news.com.au
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