AOS 5 Health system Flashcards
Identify one advantage of Medicare.
Available to all Australian citizens
Choice of doctor for out-of-hospital services
Reduced costs for essential medical services
Medicare Safety Net provides extra financial support for those with high out-of-pocket costs for medical services.
Describe how bulk billing promotes the health and wellbeing of Australians.
Medical centres who bulk bill only charge the schedule fee for a doctor’s consultation. This means there would be no out-of-pocket costs to patients who need to see the doctor. Bulk billing makes it easier for people on low incomes to visit the doctor, as cost is no longer a barrier for them.
Explain the difference between the Medicare levy and the Medicare levy surcharge.
The Medicare levy is an additional 2 per cent tax placed on the taxable income of most taxpayers. Those with low incomes or with specific circumstances may be exempt from paying the levy. The Medicare levy surcharge is an additional 1 to 1.5 per cent tax on the income of high-income earners who do not have private health insurance. The Medicare levy surcharge increases as income increases.
Not all medicines are subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Briefly explain why this is the case, and identify who pays for those medications.
The PBS only subsidises the cost of essential medicines; the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee regularly reviews which medications should and should not be included on the list. Any medication not subsidised by the PBS is therefore not considered as ‘essential’, and, in this case, the patient must pay the full cost of that medication.
