Patients struggling with rising costs and long waits for healthcare refunds

Victoria's Labor government and the opposition have promised $53.6 million for the Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme (VPTAS) if successful at next month's state election. The scheme provides financial assistance to eligible Victorians who need to travel long distances to access specialist medical treatment.Under proposed changes to the program, accommodation subsidies would increase from $45 to $125 a night and fuel reimbursements from 21 cents per kilometre to 35 cents.Mildura woman Lara Hamilton is one of almost 30,000 regional Victorians who use the VPTAS.She regularly visits Melbourne for appointments and mostly relies on flights for her travel.Lara Hamilton uses a mobility scooter and relies on flights and one-way lifts from family members. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)She called the announcement a "bandaid" solution and said her budget would still be tight, as reimbursements could take months to hit her account.Currently, she is waiting on claims for thousands of dollars."With the cost-of-living crisis at the moment, no-one can afford to wait for $4,500," she said."I have to choose to basically not drive my own motor vehicle locally to try to save money, catch a bus or walk when I can."The standard processing time for a claim is six to eight weeks, but Ms Hamilton said she had been waiting much longer."I lodge paper forms and it's taking an excess of six months for any type of reimbursement," she said."If you're lucky, you may receive an email approximately four months post-lodgement."'Impossible' wait timesMildura couple Wendy and Eddie Rushforth access VPTAS to cover the cost of travel for medical treatment across the state.Ms Rushforth said the couple had also cut back on their spending to save up for appointments."[We] cut down on our food, turn everything off for the electricity and don't drive anywhere," she said.Ed and Wendy Rushforth have to budget to afford travel to doctor and specialist appointments. (ABC News: Wade Stephens)Ms Rushforth said even the estimated wait times were too long."Six to eight weeks is a long time without having money, and to not be able to shop because you have to save up for so long," she said.Funding increaseTo access the scheme, Australian citizens, permanent residents or refugees must travel 100 kilometres one way or 500km within seven days.The service must be from the closest eligible specialist service within Victoria.Ingrid Stitt says the increase will make a "real difference". (ABC News)"We don't want people to have to worry about money as well as everything else that they're dealing with," Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said.Ms Stitt said the government had introduced measures to decrease wait times, including the launch of an online portal."We've also put some additional resources into the team that process those claims because we do want to see people get reimbursed a lot quicker," she said.Georgie Crozier says the Coalition has been advocating for an increase to accommodation and petrol reimbursement rates. (AAP: James Ross)Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier said Labor had 12 years to fix issues with VPTAS yet waited until a few weeks out from the election."The Coalition has long been advocating on behalf of regional Victorians for an increase in the accommodation and petrol rates under the VPTAS, which are the lowest in the country under Labor," Ms Crozier said.End of 'postcode penalty'According to the Leukaemia Foundation's National Patient Travel Scorecard, Victoria has the worst reimbursement options in the country.Under the new funding, Victoria would move to equal first alongside South Australia.Chris Tanti says the foundation's focus would now turn to how the funding is delivered. (ABC News)"Victorians facing cancer [treatment] now have something they have not had before: a clear, costed promise to end the postcode penalty," CEO Chris Tanti said.Mr Tanti said bipartisan support was a "significant milestone", but it had come after more than a decade of pushing for change.The funding change is expected to roll out on July 1, 2027 if either Labor or the Coalition forms government.