Healthcare

Question 1

Medicare

Answer 1

Australia’s universal health care system, designed to provide accessible and affordable health care for all Australians

Question 2

How is Medicare Funded?

Answer 2

• Medicare Levy (2% on taxable income)
• Medicare Levy Surcharge (An extra 1-1.5% on top of the medicare levy if you do not have private health insurance and earn above a certain amount)
• General Taxation.

Question 3

What does Medicare cover?

Answer 3

• GP visits
• Blood Tests
• X-Rays

Question 4

What does Medicare not cover?

Answer 4

• Ambulance service
• Physio
• dental examinations

Question 5

Advantages of Medicare

Answer 5

• Available to all Australian citizens
• Medicare Safety Net
• Low income earners don’t need to pay the medicare levy

Question 6

Disadvantages of Medicare

Answer 6

• No choice of doctor for in hospital treatments
• Waiting lists for many treatments
• Does not cover alternative therapies

Question 7

Private Health Insurance

Answer 7

An additional insurance that can be purchased on top of Medicare, members pay a fee for health related costs that are not covered by Medicare

Question 8

Advantages of Private Health Insurance

Answer 8

• Enables access to private hospital care
• Choice of doctor while in private or public hospitals
• Shorter waiting time for some medical procedures

Question 9

Disadvantages of Private Health Insurance

Answer 9

• May be difficult to understand the many different options
• Costly in terms of the premiums that have to be paid
• Qualifying periods apply for some conditions

Question 10

Incentives (Lifetime Cover)

Answer 10

Designed to encourage people to take out hospital insurance earlier in life and to maintain their cover. Those over 30 and don’t have hospital cover but decide to get it later in life pay 2% on top of the cost of the health insurance for every year they are aged over 30

Question 11

Incentives (Government Rebate)

Answer 11

Australians with private health insurance receive a rebate from the Australian Government to help cover the rest of their premiums

Question 12

Incentives (Medicare Levy Surcharge)

Answer 12

An extra 1-1.5% on top of the medicare levy if you do not have private health insurance and earn above a certain amount.

Question 13

PBS Safety Net

Answer 13

If a person needs a lot of medication in any one year, once the threshold is reached then the co payments are further reduced