Issues facing Australias Health Care System

Chapter 10 Click to edit Master subtitle style Pg 328

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10.1 Elements of Australias health care system services and activities run and Consists of

controlled by the government and those run by the private sector The federal and state governments have the largest role in the health system in terms of funding and delivering health services

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Medicare
Australias

scheme Established in 1984 It gives all Australian citizens and permanent residents and people from countries with a reciprocal agreement (NZ, UK, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Malta, Norway) access to health care that is subsidised by the government

universal health-insurance

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Medicare: what does it cover?

Range

of health services including:

Doctors consultations including specialists Tests and examinations by doctors X-rays and pathology tests Eye tests performed by optometrists Free treatment as a patient in public hospitals Subsidised treatment as a patient in private hospitals

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Medicare: whats NOT covered

Covers

fees Not covered by Medicare:

most necessary hospital and doctors

Dental examinations Home nursing treatment Ambulance services Physiotherapy Occupational therapy Speech therapy Eye therapy Chiropractic services Podiatry Acupuncture

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Medicare: how is it funded

Medicare

levy: 1.5% tax placed on taxable income of taxpayers Medicare Surcharge: an additional tax if you earn over $70,000 (indiv) or $140,000 (families) and dont have private health insurance

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Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

Federal

governments subsidy scheme for essential medicines Jan 1st, 2009 the co-payment for most PBSsubsidised medication was $32.90 or $5.30 for concession card holders The government pays the remaining cost If not covered by PBS, patients must pay full price

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Private Health Insurance

Form

of insurance where a member pays a premium to the insurance company in addition to the Medicare levy The insurance company agrees to pay for some or all health-related costs incurred by the member that are not covered by Medicare

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Funding the health system

Funded

by government, private sector and individual payments See fig 10.5 pg 330 Public hospitals and medical services such as doctors consultations are the two largest items of health system expenditure

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Values of Australias health system

Effectiveness Appropriateness Efficiency Responsiveness Accessibility Safety Continuity Capability Sustainability See

pg 332for more details

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Test your knowledge

Qs

1-9 pg 333

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10.2 Issues facing Australias health system: human rights and ethical issues Part 1
Health

issues Many different issues

care system has to evolve to address

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Human rights and ethics

Human

rights are about respecting the value and dignity that every human being possesses and deserves Ethics are judgements and behaviours based on what people think is good and right People often disagree

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Universal declaration of human rights (1948)

After

World War II, the global community became concerned with human rights In 1946, The United Nations (UN) drafted a set of human rights that is now known as the Universal declaration of human rights Countries had different views based on society and culture

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Human rights and ethical issues: access to medical services lists for medical procedures in Long waiting
public hospitals Long waiting times for treatment in emergency departments Geographical access to medical services (rural and remote areas) Declining number of bulk billing doctors Financial access to medicines and health services for people living in financial disadvantage e.g. pensioners Waiting times for ambulance response Access for people with disabilities such as 4/28/12

Human rights and ethical issues: euthanasia

Voluntary

euthanasia: when the person who is killed has requested to be killed Assisted suicide: when a terminally ill person is helped to kill themselves, e.g. a doctors prescribes medication but the patient administers it Illegal in Australia Issues include:

Should people suffering be able to end their live painlessly? Is taking a life wrong, no matter the circumstances?
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10.3 Issues facing Australias health system: human rights and ethical issues Part 2

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Human rights and ethical issues: stem cell research

Stem

cells are generalised cells within the body that do not yet have a specialised function They have potential to become many cell types Two types: embryonic and adult Embryonic can only be harvested from embryos usually leftover ones from fertility clinics Embryonic stem cells can be extracted without killing embryo however most are still destroyed after use
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Human rights and ethical issues: therapeutic cloning

Involves

creating an embryo using the genetic information of the patient to be treated Benefits are the possibility of creating replacement cells and organs that are perfectly matched to the patient Issues are technique involves creating an embryo for the sole purpose of research Devalues human life?

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Human rights and ethical issues: abortion

In

Victoria, pregnancies can be terminated up to 24 weeks After 24 weeks, a doctor must agree that the womans health is at risk Medicare covers part of the cost of abortion Issues:

a woman's right to choose Ending a human life

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Test your knowledge

Qs

1-3 pg 335 Qs 1-5 pg 337

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