Australian Health Care and Reform Essay example - 3443 Words

Introduction A country’s health care system refers to all the institutions, programs, personnel, procedures, and the resources that are used to meet the health needs of its population. Health care systems vary from one country to another, depending on government policies and the health needs of the population. Besides, health care programs are flexible in the sense that they are tailored to meet health needs as they arise. Among the stakeholders in the formulation of a country’s health care system are governments, religious groups, non-governmental organizations, charity organizations, trade/labor unions, and interested individuals (Duckett, 2008). These entities formulate, implement, evaluate, and reform health services according to the†¦show more content†¦For instance, high income-earners in Australia are taxed a 1% levy to fund the health care system. For proper funding and accountability in the use of the health care funds, Australia has established a national health policy, which emphasizes the provision and accessibility universal health services to the public. In fact, the federal government plays the all-important role of covering most of the public medical expenses in hospitals, albeit by way of subsidies in some cases. This coverage could be in form of subsidies on services or drugs, as realized in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schemes (Hill et al., 2005). The level of expenditures the federal government covers in the health care system varies from in-hospital costs, general practitioner, to specialist services. The other mechanism that determines the level of government cost coverage is whether a patient is a concession or is receiving other benefits. Moreover, there are situations when a patient has exceeded the threshold for federal subsidies. The threshold is often calculated on the allowable annual health expenditures. In situations where the federal government decides to pay the bigger portion of one’s medical expenditures, a patient pays the remaining part from own sources. This situation compares to the copayment system, practiced in other countries. In cases where a patient suffers from conditions not covered by the federal government such as dentistry, ambulance services, or optometry, aShow MoreRelatedThe Australian Healthcare Reform : The Canadian Health Reform1461 Words   |  6 Pagesdebate over health reform and healthcare for the future. As additional funding is not always a feasible option, health resource allocation and health finance need to be well managed to achi eve efficient outputs. Health resource allocation is the allocation and management of healthcare resources or healthcare rationing (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). Health finance refers to ‘function of a health system concerned with the mobilization, accumulation and allocation of money to cover the health needs ofRead MoreAssessment Tools For Aged Care1199 Words   |  5 PagesTitle: Assessment Tools for Aged Care in Australia Background: †¢ Australians over 65 are referred to as older people and make up the â€Å"aged† population. †¢ The aged care sector operates under the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 that came into effect in July 2014. †¢ As part of National Health reform in 2011, the Council of Australian Governments agreed to transfer all funding and operational responsibility of aged care support services for people over 65 years toRead MoreThe Challenges Facing The Primary Health Care Sector865 Words   |  4 Pageshow policy reforms could address the challenges facing the Primary Health Care (PHC) sector in Australia. 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The Primary Health Care Reform in Australia, Report to Support Australias First National Primary Health Care Strategy 2009 report says the Australian health care system is multi-tiered and is comprised of organizations that are funded and organized by a range of different methods including Government (publicly