Unit 2 Flashcards
What is Medicare?
- Is Australia’s universal health insurance scheme
- Established in 1984
- Aims to provide access to affordable and basic healthcare in what is known as the public health sector
Who is covered by Medicare?
- All Australian citizens
- Commonwealth countries such as New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, etc.
What is covered by Medicare?
- General Practitioners (GP)
- Specialists
- Pathology and eye tests
- X-Rays
- Psychologist visits (limited)
What is NOT covered by Medicare?
- most dental examinations
- treatments in private hospitals
- home nursing care or treatment
- ambulance system
- services not medically necessary (e.g. nose job)
Schedule Fee
The amount that medicare contributes towards certain consultations and treatments.
Bulk Billing
When the doctor or specialist charges only the schedule fee and bills Medicare the rest.
Advantages of Bulk Billing
- assists people with financial issues
- encourages people to continue to seek medical help
Disadvantages of Bulk Billing
not all doctors may offer this payment option
Advantages of Medicare
- reduced cost for essential medical services
- choice of doctor for out-of-hospital services
- available to all Australian citizens
Disadvantages of Medicare
- no choice of doctor for in-hospital treatment
- waiting lists for many treatments
- does not cover alternative therapies or allied health services
Medicare Levy
2 per cent tax for all Australian tax payers to fund Medicare
Medicare Levy Surcharge
an additional 1–1.5 per cent tax on high income earners who do not have private health insurance
What is the PBS?
- the aim was to provide essential medicines to people who needed them, regardless of their ability to pay.
- established in 1948
- any Australian who owns a medicare card can access the PBS
Advantages of the PBS
allows access to necessary medicines by affordable prices
Disadvantages of the PBS
may not include medications for rare diseases/illnesses.
Private Health Insurance
Private health insurance is a type of insurance for which members pay a premium (or fee) in return for payment towards health-related costs not covered by Medicare
Advantages of PHI
- enables access to private hospital care
- choice of doctor while in public or private hospital
- shorter waiting times for some medical procedures such as elective surgery
Disadvantages of PHI
- costly
- gap payments
Incentives for taking up PHI
the private health insurance rebate is an amount the government contributes towards the cost of your private hospital health insurance premiums
Lifetime Health Cover
people who take up private hospital insurance after the age of 31 pay an extra 2 per cent on their premiums for every year they are over the age of 30
How does geographic location affect access to health services and information?
those in rural areas face multiple difficulties in accessing health services and information because of distance to the hospital, lack of qualified specialists, and lack of modern technology.
How does socioeconomic status location affect access to health services and information?
many health services are unavailable to families and individuals on low incomes because they are simply too expensive
How does health literacy affect access to health services and information?
overall levels of education are important in accessing and understanding health information; however, health literacy is a specific factor that can affect access to health services and information
How does culture affect access to health services and information?
these factors include language barriers, religious beliefs, values and expectations of the services provided
How does gender affect access to health services and information?
Females are known to reach out for medical help and information whereas Males are known to be more closed off and inexpressive.
Charter of Healthcare Rights
The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights outlines the rights of patients, consumers and other people using the Australian healthcare system.
Patient Rights
Access, Safety, Respect, Communication, Participation, Privacy, Comment.
Opportunities of Internet Search Engines
Provides easy and quick access to medical information and help
Challenges to Internet Search Engines
Information may be misleading, inaccurate, or wrong and some people do believe everything they see on the internet and believe the worse case scenario
Opportunities for Health and well being sites and mobile apps
can be used to access a wide arrange of health information such as running trackers, food, period trackers.
Challenges for Health and well being sites and mobile apps
Information may be inaccurate and misleading, may encourage poor health programs.
Opportunities for technology based consultations
allows for people in rural areas to get access to doctor or GP consultations instead of making a long trip and get the help they need.
Challenges for technology based consultations
Internet access proposes a challenge for phone call consultations
Opportunities for virtual reality
Provides a space of recovery for victims of certain diseases such as dementia and a training space for new doctors.
Challenges for virtual reality
can cause more harm than good as they can make people feel nauseous or bump into walls.
Opportunities for symptom checkers
reduces stress on the public health sector as people can check their symptoms without going straight to the ER.
Challenges for symptom checkers
People can believe what symptoms they have is the worst case scenario (cyberchondria)
3D Printing of body parts
Is the use of 3D printing of body parts, organs, muscles, tissues, bones, etc for people who have damaged or lost for a less invasive recovery.
The Health Complaint Commissioner
is an independent, fee-free organisation whose role it is to receive and resolve complaints about health service providers through an impartial and confidential process
