Doctors Reform Society of Australia
			supporting health care reforms to ensure justice, equity and quality care for all
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It's that time again. Media and public attention is turned to the state of health of our health care system at times of elections and the renegotiation of the Medicare agreements. The Medicare agreements expired on 30th June but as yet new agreements have not been signed and the country is waiting for the announcement of the date of the Federal election. However, any debate of the future of our health care system is overshadowed by a number of other big issues - behind all of which lie a growing sense of divisiveness in our society. Nonetheless it is worth considering what are the key issues facing the health care system. It is reasonable to expect any health policy to address these.

Most media commentators on the health care system start by proclaiming a state of crisis. It is a good attention getting device but a gross overstatement of the situation. In all countries health care costs have been rising steadily. Australia has done quite well in terms of total system costs. Compared to OECD countries, we spend at about the average rate of proportion of GDP allocated to health. And the rate at which our spending has grown has been around the average. What is notable about Australia's health care costs is that those averages have been achieved in a system with a significant private sector and substantial fee for service practice. Those countries which have performed as well or better than the average have had primarily government funding of health care....

The full text of this article is not currently available online. Contact Carol at the DRS national office for more information.

About the author:

Jane Hall is Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Sydney

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			This page was last updated on 10th February, 2003.
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