Core 1 - Health Care in Australia

Question 1

What are the ranges and Types of Health Facilities and Services in Australia? + statistics

Answer 1

Institutional: (stay in)
- Private, public, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes

Non-institutional:
- Public health programs, research groups, GP’s, rehab programs, immunisation programs, cancer screening programs, dentists

• in 2018 there was 1350 hospitals

Question 2

How are hospitals funded

Answer 2

Public hospitals: funded by commonwealth governments, emergency + outpatient services for free under Medicare, can be a private patient in a public hospital

Private: funded by individuals/community groups, not emergencies more elective procedures e.g. nose, ear surgery

Question 3

Outline ‘Responsibility for Health Care Facilities and Services’ + statistics

Answer 3

AUS spent 4195.7B on health care

41% spent by Commonwealth Gov, 27% from State + Territory Govs

increasing each year in expenditure

Question 4

What is the Responsibility for Health Care facilities and Services from each of the different levels

Answer 4

Commonwealth Gov:
- Funding health care systems + developing national health policies
- allocation of state funds
- Responsible for health programs (ATSI)
- Coordinate Medicare + pharmaceutical benefits scheme

Stat+Territory Gov’s:
- Further allocation of funding into services including:
- Hospitals, health promotion, rehab programs (e.g. Don’t drink and drive campaign)
- monitoring of local gov. programs

Local Gov:
- environmental control, restaurant hygiene, safety standards

Private Sector:
- private hospitals, dentists, etc.

• large scale health ORG’s (e.g. cancer council, beyond blue, etc.

Community Groups:
- accomodating for community needs (e.g. mens shed)

Question 5

Outline ‘Equity of Access to Health Facilities and Services’ - including examples

Answer 5

Medicare:
- National public health insurance - all individuals having access to it
- Subsidised various health services (e.g. free treatment in public hospitals)
- Medicare is funded through ‘Medicare Levy’ - additional 2% tax on income

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme:
- Subsidised cost of certain prescription medications, makes more affordable due to cost being a barrier
- Aided towards ATSI and lower socio-economic populations

GP’s:
- Allow for after-hours access (e.g. zoom meetings, over the phone)

Royal Flying Doctor Service:
- Trying to remove location as a barrier to health services

Bulk Billing through Medicare:
- Helps to remove cost as a barrier to receiving medical care

Question 6

What are the Benefits of private health insurance

Answer 6

access to greater services at reduced cost, reduced time on waiting lists, choice of doctors

Question 7

Outline ‘Health Care Expenditure vs Expenditure on early intervention and Prevention’
- More so just be able to discuss it and understand the concepts for a question

Answer 7

• 90% of health expenditure is on treatments and only 10% on early intervention/prevention
• Majority of disease/illness in AUS is from poor lifestyle behaviours (causes of CVD) meaning Investing in programs to prevent disease/illness has potential to significantly reduce spending in this area in the future
• Early intervention results decreased morbidity, which in-turn means less strain on health care services
• early intervention is working: Successful: road safety accidents fallen by 60% in 40yrs, smoking rates fallen by 50% in 20yrs

More pros of early intervention:
- Survival rates have improved drastically in recent years due to early intervention (e.g. cancer screening)

(Interesting note)
- But as preventive methods take years to show up in epidemiological figures Gov’s are hesitant to spend in this area as doesn’t make good election sense

Question 8

What is the ‘Impact of Emerging New Treatments and Technologies and Health Care?’ - examples of New Tech (note: don’t memorise a shit tone of examples, just one or two real simple ones)

Answer 8

New technologies = potential for significant improvements in healthcare

Advances contribute to:
- Increase in life expectancy, < mortality rates
- Greater quality of life
- More treatment options
- Decreased time spent in hospitals
- Earlier detection = less long-term impact on health expenditure

Recent Advances (examples):
- Diagnostic procedures = more accurate timely diagnosis
- New tech: MRI’s, Ultrasounds, CT scans
- Keyhole surgery (uses a camera)
- Organ transplants
- Various medications

Concerns regarding new tech:
- Cost of machines
- Cost of providing access to all AUS’s
- Cost of training for usage
- Safety
- Ethics
- Unknown long-term impacts on health

Question 9

Outline both ‘Medicare and Private Insurance’ - general knowledge + stats

In addition - why would you choose Private health insurance?

Answer 9

Medicare:
- Launched in 1984
- Aims to provide all AUS’s with accessible, affordable, high-quality healthcare
- Medicare levy
- Administrates the pharmaceutical benefits scheme

Private Health Insurance:
- Optional healthcare
- Can help reduce strain on public facilities
- Government provides incentives to try and increase people with private health insurance: 30% gov rebate on premiums, Medicare levy surcharge
- Covers hospital cover and ancillary cover (physio, nutritionist, dentist etc.)

Reasons for taking Private Health Insurance:
- Ancillary benefits
- Treatment as private patient
- Superior standard of comfort
- Peace of mind
- Overseas cover
- Choice of doctor
- Reduced waiting list times
- Avoid paying Medicare surcharge