Ch10 and 11 - HH Flashcards
Medicare definition
Medicare is Australia’s universal health insurance scheme, providing free or subsidised basic health care to all Australians.
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) definition
- Is a Federal Government-funded scheme that subsidises part of the cost of essential prescription medications. This means that/therefore consumers make a co-payment and the government pays the remaining costs.
Private Health insurance definition
- Is a type of insurance where members pay a premium (or fee) in return for payment towards health-related costs not covered by Medicare.
NDIS definition
It is a scheme that provides services and support for people with permanent, significant disabilities and their families and carers.
(must be under 65 to apply)
Explain chosen health technology
Assisted reproductive technologies (IVF)
- In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) is the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology.
- The procedure can be done using a couple’s own eggs and sperm. Or IVF may involve eggs, sperm or embryos from a known or anonymous donor.
- During IVF, mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from ovaries and fertilised by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilised egg (embryo) or eggs (embryos) are transferred to a uterus.
- One full cycle of IVF takes about three weeks.
What issues arise with chosen health technology
- Equity of access, as IVF is an expensive medical procedure. An average cycle of IVF costs around $5000, with ongoing costs for services such as embryo storage. The high cost of this procedure puts it out of reach for some Australians.
- There are questions about whether IVF should be offered to older women wanting to become mothers, particularly after reports of women in their 60s and 70s in Spain and India having babies through IVF. Many people believe that it is not fair on the children to have such old mothers, who may not live long after the birth of their child.
Rights of accessing health services
- access
- safety
- respect
- communication
- participation
- privacy
- comment
Responsibilities of accessing health services
- to treat medical staff with respect
- to ask questions about costs before treatment
- provide information about health history (eg: past and present diseases)
Medicare safety net
Ensures that people who require frequent services covered by Medicare, such as doctor’s visits and tests, receive additional financial support
Patient co-payment
The payment made by the consumer for health products or services in addition to the amount paid by the government
Advantages of Medicare
- Reduced cost for essential medical services including free treatment and accommodation in a public hospital
- Choice of doctor for out-of-hospital services
- Available to all Australian citizens
Disadvantages of medicare
- No choice of doctor for in-hospital treatments
- Waiting lists for many treatments
- Often does not cover the full amount of a doctor’s
visit
How is medicare funded
- general taxation (income from general tax of all Australians)
- medicare levy (an additional 2 per cent tax placed on the taxable income of most taxpayers.)
- medicare levy surcharge (an additional 1 to 1.5 per cent tax on the income of people without private hospital insurance earning more than a certain amount - $90 000 a year for individuals and $180 000 for families)
PBS safety net
Once someone has spent $1497.20 within a calendar year on PBS-listed medicines, the patient pays only a concessional co-payment rate of $6.60 rather than the normal $41.30.
Private health insurance advantages
- enables access to private hospital care
- choice of doctor while in public or private hospital
- shorter waiting times for some medical procedures
