Review; Australian Health System

8/9/2019 Review; Australian Health System

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Brief Overview of the Australian

Health Care System.

The Australian government is an independent nation although it is still a constitutional

monarchy recognised by the British sovereign as Head of State.

In Australia the Commonwealth government is ruled beneath the philosophical system

of distinguished powers: legislative, executive and judicial. The Australian

Parliament makes the laws then the government carries out and superintend and the

court interprets the new law.

The Federal government vests the legislative power of the commonwealth and as the

governor general the representative of the Queen can exercise executive power that is

vested in the Queen: High Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia havejudicial power and other courts inside the States of Australia can exercise federal

jurisdiction.

In Australia the States and Territories carry their own parliament and their own

constitution; nevertheless, all States and Territories are subjected to the national

Constitution as well as to their own constitution and every state have a headed

premier whom is normally the leader of the party with a majority or working minority

of the house but a for the territories they do not have premiers they have chief

minister who are the leaders of the party with a majority or working minority in the

Territories legislature, the territories govern themselves similarly to the states with out

being an actual state themselves.

The State and Territory governments are responsible for all matters that are not

assigned to the Commonwealth, every state have plenary powers for making laws for

peace, order and good government within its own territorial boundaries; although the

Federal government posses power to legislate for the whole of Australia in respect of

particulars referred in the Commonwealth Constitution.

As of 1946 the Commonwealth Australia was able to provide health benefits and

services due to the amended constitution, without changing the States power:

Although this has lead to an overlapping in responsibilities in the health sector.

The primary responsibility for the delivery and management of public services are in

the hands of the State and Territory, including the responsibility of maintaining direct

relationships with health care providers and the regulation of health care

professionals.

Health services that the Sate and Territory take care of are; public acute and

psychiatric hospital services including wide variety of community and public health

services which also includes school health, dental health, maternal and child health as

well as environmental health programs.

There is a broad range of services that the State and Territory are involved in funding,

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the Commonwealth Australia mainly funds most of the medical services out of

hospital as well as the medical research. Public hospitals, community care for aged

care and disabled persons are jointly funded together by the Commonwealth

Australia, State and Territories.

The State and Territories receive their funding for health care and services from a

variety source of funding; the States and Territories receive funding as payments from

the Commonwealth Australia through goods and services tax and general revenue

sharing arrangements as well as through specific purpose payments.

Funding to the States and Territories are also received by the Australian Health Care

Agreement, this funding is mainly for the provision of public health services; as well

as the Public Health Outcome Funding Agreement for certain public health activities.

The public health system in Australia is based on the medical need of the consumer

rather than their financial capacity, when a patient is admitted as a public patient the

public institution provides treatment and care by doctors and specialist nominated by

the institution. They are not charged for the care or treatment and the after care by the

doctor.

The private health care system allows the patient admitted in public or private

institution to elect the treating doctor and specialist, some or all of the outstanding

balance may be covered by the patients private health insurance. Although some of

the fees charged are covered by the public health system (Medicare 75%), patients are

charged for the hospital accommodation and items such as theatre fees and medicine.These costs can be covered by the patients private health insurance but not by the

public health system.

Every private health insurance provider differs in the service they provide to the

consumer, the advantages of private is that the individual have the choice to choose

where they receive health care, choice of doctors and specialists, reimbursement for

some medical benefits that are not covered by medicare and less waiting times for

treatment and elective surgery.

As this can all be great there are some things that has it's down fall such as it can be

an expansive ongoing financial commitment, some services they offer you may noteven need or use and there is still a gap or excess you have to pay for a specialist or

staying in hospital.

The major part in the Australian health system is the Medical Benefits Scheme also

known as Medicare, Medicare is a universal health system introduced in 1984 to

provide all Australian residents with affordable, accessible and high quality health

care.

Medicare is the Australian Federal Government's health care system that provides and

covers medical, hospital and pharmaceutical. If you use medicare as a public patient

all treatments will be covered at no charge to you in a public hospital by a doctor


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appointed by the hospital.

This gives Australian residents high quality health care that is often provided free of

charge at the point of care. How this is possible is that the Medical benefit scheme is

funded mostly by the Australian taxpayers by taxation revenue, which includes a levy

based on the person's whole taxable income and penalty taxes.

To assist Australians with their pharmaceutical cost along with their medical

treatment there is a scheme under Medicare from the Federal Government called the

Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme. The scheme is avaliable to those who are eligible for

medicare, providing access to effective and necessary prescribed medications at

reasonable cost to the patients and the nation.

A whopping 75 per cent of all prescribed medications around the nation is subsidisedby the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), part of that percentage was medication

prescribed free of charge to admitted patients in public hospitals; however the

Commonwealth Government pay around 83 per cent of this cost and the rest is filled

in by Co-payments from patients.

The beneficial components of the PBS is that everyone has access to affordable if not

free prescribed pharmaceuticals for example, public hospitals receive specific funding

for certain high cost drugs such as immunosuppressants used in transplantation.

Although there are chances that a particular type of prescribed medication may turn

up that is not on the list and the patient may bear the full cost if not a partialpercentage if the patient has private health cover, However it evens out over the

duress of the as there is a safety net in the PBS where if the patient pays up to a

certain amount in prescribe medications in one set calendar period the remainder is

covered for free of charge for that calendar period.

Within the Australian health care system there are several services that has been set

up to meet the uniquely Australian needs such as the Visiting Optometrists Scheme,

Hepatitis C in Australia, Head-space and National Rural and Remote Health

Infrastructure Program.

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References

Health Insurance Info: Your Online Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2008, from

http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.com.au/

How does Medicare work? 28 May 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008, fromhttp://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/public/register/how-works.jsp

Health insurance cover and Medicare. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2008, from

http://www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/Health+&+Relationships/Getting+health+care/He

alth+cover+&+Medicare/

About Medicare. 28 May 2008. Retrieved October 14, 2008, from

http://www.medicare.gov.au/public/register/index.jsp

Step by Step Guide to Health Insurance. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2008, from

http://www.moneymanager.com.au/planning/guides/health_guide.html

PBS. 28 May 2008. Retrieved from

http://www.medicare.gov.au/about/whatwedo/pbs.jsp

About Australia: Health care in Australia. April 2008. Retrieved from

http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/healthcare.html

Programs and Initiatives. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/programs-initiatives-

all

K Donald Festschrift, Stephen J Duckett. (September 2000) The Australian health

care system: reform, repair or replace? Australian Health Review Retrieved from

http://www.aushealthreview.com.au/PUBLICATIONS/ARTICLES/issues/ahr_32_2_

0508/ahr_32_2_322.asp

J. Healy, E. Sharman, B. Lokuge. (2006) Australia: Health system review.Health Systems in Transition 2006. European Observatory on HealthSystems and Policies,Retrieved fromhttp://www.euro.who.int/observatory/Hits/TopPage

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Review; Australian Health System