What gobbledygook exists in the Vaccine Eligibility Checker when you don’t have medicare? My interest was sparked when I saw the following ABC article.
Federal Government blasts Campsie GP clinic for charging for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine ‘consultations’
Bottom line, the Vaccine Checker is confusing and I’m sure will discourage completion by those who aren’t Australian citizens. Surely the outcome has to be to get everyone vaccinated? There’s a lot of room for improvement in its design to successfully reach minority groups and/or those with poor digital literacy – groups that need the vaccine the most.
A woman in her 20s, who did not wished to be named, told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) she paid the $250 fee at the clinic because she didn’t want to risk waiting months for the Pfizer jab.
The Malaysian woman said she was on a bridging visa and did not have Medicare. She said her colleagues, who were on temporary visas, had been vaccinated the same way.
An early question asks you if your are eligible for medicare and you have to press the tiny question mark for more info.
The more info page is dense and doesn’t get to the point that you can get the vaccine for free regardless.
It suggests to follow a further link to get a Individual Healthcare Identified if you aren’t eligible for medicare. If you are eligible regardless, then why ask the question at all?
Perhaps, the form should simply prompt at the end to bring in a Medicare card, IH card or failing that, their residential address? Then again, what happens if you’re homeless… 116,427 people in 2016 census.
So here’s another confusing page that leads to a number of other text filled, confusing pages. No pictures or shortcuts and what looks like endless bureaucracy.
The Spoken Word 