the health care system

Question 1

what is medicare

Answer 1

a universal health insurance scheme that provides medical care to patients via their gp or hospitals for little to no cost

• established in 1984
• aim is to improve the access to healthcare for all Australians, regardless of income

Question 2

how is medicare funded

Answer 2

Through the federal government vis three sources of income

the medicare levy, the medicare levy surcharge and general taxation

Question 3

the medicare levy

Answer 3

this is an additional 2% tax payed on the taxable income of most tax payers, low income earners do not pay this

Question 4

the medicare levy surcharge

Answer 4

people without private health insurance who earn above a certain amount have to pay an extra tax towards medicare

Question 5

general taxation

Answer 5

the third source of revenue as the medicare levy and the medicare levy surcharge do not meet the full operating cost of medicare

Question 6

advantages of medicare

Answer 6

• access essential healthcare as public patients in public hospitals
• choice of doctor for out of hospital services
• available to all in Australia
• covers tests and examinations, doctors fees and some procedures such as x rays

Question 7

disadvantages of medicare

Answer 7

• no choice of doctor for in hospital treatment
• longer waiting list for many treatments
• often doesn’t cover full amount of doctors visits or out of pocket costs

Question 8

who and what is covered under medicare

Answer 8

-all Australian and new Zealand citizens are eligible
(out of hospital car) medicare will provide full or subsides treatments by doctors and specialists, diagnostic tests such as x rays and eye tests
(in hospital care) medicare will fully pay for a patients treatment, accomodation and food while in hospital and aftercare

Question 9

how does medicare provide accessibility

Answer 9

the hospitals treat the most in need first

Question 10

how is medicare sustainable

Answer 10

medicare only covers essential health care services, therefore funding will be available for future generations of Australians medical needs
available for little to no cost

Question 11

how is medicare equitable

Answer 11

medicare includes a ‘safety net’ for those with higher costs in healthcare. And therefore extra support is provided for all those in financial need. Medicare is available to all citizens and is therefor equitable

Question 12

what is PBS

Answer 12

the pharmaceutical benefits scheme is an Australia government program that provides subsidised prescription medication to Australian residents at affordable prices

Question 13

advantages of PBS

Answer 13

• provides access to essential medication at a subsidised rate or little to no cost
• enables access to medications from local pharmacies and does not require medication to be purchased from specialised services
• incluses PBS safety net and RPBS to protect people from high cost medication
• available to all Australian citizens regardless of age or income
• provides support to concessions by having lower co payments

Question 14

disadvantages of PBS

Answer 14

• places significant financial burden on commonwealth government
• does not generally cover all medications
• for most Australians there is still a co payment of $38.50

Question 15

how is PBS funded

Answer 15

funded by the common wealth government through taxes. when a doctor prescribes a PBS approved medication, patients pay the subsidised amount and the government pays the remaining cost of the drug

Question 16

who and what is covered under PBS

Answer 16

all Australians and foreigners who are covered under the reciprocal health care agreement

Question 17

PBS accessibility

Answer 17

abs provides timely access to medication at local pharmacies at a reduced cost, which can promote access as individuals are able to get what they need without having to travel

Question 18

PBS equity

Answer 18

PBS ams to reduce the cost of PBS medication for aboriginal and torrid strait islander people living with or who are at risk of chronic disease under the close the gap PBS co payment program. this promotes equity by providing additional support for one of the most disadvantaged population groups in Australia

Question 19

PBS sustainability

Answer 19

the PBS aims to be economically sustainable by subsidising the cost of a wide range of essential medications to treat chronic conditions in order to make them more affordable to all Australians so they can meet their health needs

Question 20

NDIS

Answer 20

provides services and support for people with permanent, significant disabilities and their families and careers

Question 21

what does the NDIS help people with disabilities to do?

Answer 21

• access mainstream services snd support including healthcare, education, public housing, aged cares and the justice system
• access community services and supports including supporting clubs, libraries, charities etc
• maintain information support arrangements including the unpaid help from families and friends
• receive reasonable and necessary funded support such as financial support from NDIS as required to live an ordinary life

Question 22

NDIS access

Answer 22

The NDIS aims to produce the necessary financial support to access the required services to achieve their goals and promote health for all Australians with a disability

Question 23

NIDIS equity

Answer 23

the NDIS is equitable as it ensures people with a disability and their carers are able to access more resources in a sector that needs help the most

Question 24

NDIS sustainability

Answer 24

the roll out of the NDIS over the next three years ensures its sustainable. the support provided by the NDIS is for the lifetime of the person with a disability

Question 25

how is the NDIS funded

Answer 25

funded by the federal and state and territory governments

Question 26

requirement for NDIS/ who is covered by NDIS

Answer 26

-An Australian citizen/ has a percent visa
-has to live in an area where NDIS is available
Disability requirements
- have an impairment or condition that is likely to be permanent
-the impairment reduces the ability to participate effectively in activities or perform tasks unless they have assistance from other and assistive technology
-impairment impacts on social and economical participation
-requires NDIS for lifetime

Question 27

private health insurance

Answer 27

an insurance in which members pay a premium (fee) for payments towards medical health not covered by Medicare

Question 28

what is covered under private health insurance

Answer 28

the basic policy covers theist of admission Tona public or private hospital
medicare pays 75% of doctors scheduled fees, you get the choice of hospital, doctor, own room and a shorter waiting period for elective surgery

Question 29

advantages of private health insurance

Answer 29

enables individuals to have access to private hospital care

• helps the government address the increasing cost of medicare
• individuals are able to access a wider range of services not covered by medicare
• it may result in a shorter waiting time for some procedures, allows patients to select their own doctor in a private or public hospital

Question 30

disadvantages of private health insurance

Answer 30

costly for individuals and families to pay for private health insurance

• there can be some out of pocket costs for some services in some policies
• there maybe some qualifying or waiting period for some procedures
• individuals may feel as if they are paying for services they dont use

Question 31

how is private health insurance funded

Answer 31

generally funded by members through premiums that they pay
the cost of private hospital treatment is covered by medicare (who pay 75% of the scheduled fee), private health insurance companies (which pay the gap between what medicare pays and the balance of the scheduled fee) and the individual (who pays the difference between what the hospital charges and the scheduled fee as an out of pocket cost)

Question 32

how is private health insurance accessible

Answer 32

through implementing incentives such as the private health insurance rebate scheme, the government has tried to make private health insurance more financially accessible, with the aim of increasing the number of people who can afford to access private health insurance
improves access for people who rely on the public system

Question 33

how is private health insurance sustainable

Answer 33

as it helps meet the needs of the current generation (those both with private health insurance and without) through placing less burden on the public system. it meets the needs of the future generations by implementing incentive schemes to make access to private health insurance more affordable, and therefore decreasing the demand on the public health system as our ageing population continues to grow,

Question 34

how is private health insurance equitable

Answer 34

promotes equity through the private health insurance incentives. those who earn more pay more for their private health insurance as they receive less or no rebate on their policies while those who earn less receive bigger rebates

Question 35

what are the private health insurance incentives

Answer 35

the private health insurance rebate
lifetime health cover
medicare levy surcharge

Question 36

private health insurance rebate

Answer 36

the government introduced the 30% rebate incentive and policy holders receive a 30% refund on their premiums
in 2012 the rebate was reduced for high income workers

Question 37

lifetime health insurance

Answer 37

people who take private health insurance after the age of 31 will pay an extra 2% on their premiums for every year they are over 30. e.g. 40 year old will pay 20%, aimed at encouraging young people to take out private health insurance

Question 38

medicare levy surcharge for PHI

Answer 38

people who earn over 90,000 who do not have private health insurance will have to pay extra tax as a medicare surcharge
1% and 1.5%
aim is to encourage high income workers to take out private health insurance