Health care in Australia is provided by both private and government institutions. The
Minister for Health and Ageing, currently
Tanya Plibersek, administers national health policy, elements of which (such as the operation of hospitals) are overseen by individual
states.
In
Australia the current system, known as
Medicare, was instituted in 1984. It coexists with a private health system. Medicare is funded partly by a 1.5%
income tax levy (with exceptions for low-income earners), but mostly out of general revenue. An additional levy of 1% is imposed on high-income earners without private
health insurance. As well as Medicare, there is a separate
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that considerably subsidises a range of prescription medications.
Health care in Australia is
universal. The federal government pays a large[SUP]
[quantify][/SUP] percentage of the cost of services in public hospitals. This percentage is calculated on:
- Whether the government subsidises this service (based on the Medicare Benefits Schedule. Typically, 100% of in-hospital costs, 75% of General Practitioner and 85% of specialist services are covered.
- Whether the patient is a concession or receives other benefits[SUP][5][/SUP]
- Whether the patient has crossed the threshold for further subsidised the service (based on total health expenditure for the year)[SUP][5][/SUP]
Where the government pays the large subsidy, the patient pays the remainder
out of pocket, unless the provider of the service chooses to use
bulk billing, charging only the scheduled fee, leaving the patient with no extra costs. In some countries, this is commonly referred to as a
copayment. Where a particular service is not covered, such as
dentistry,
optometry, and
ambulance transport,[SUP]
[6][/SUP] the patient must pay the full amount (unless they hold a Low Income Earner card, which may entitle them to subsidised access).
Individuals can take out
private health insurance to cover out-of-pocket costs, with either a plan that covers just selected services, to a full coverage plan. In practice, a person with private insurance may still be left with out-of-pocket payments, as services in private hospitals often cost more than the insurance payment.
The government encourages individuals with income above a set level to privately insure. This is done by charging these (higher income) individuals a
surcharge of 1% of income if they do not take out
private health insurance, and a means-tested rebate. This is to encourage individuals who are perceived as able to afford private insurance not to resort to the strained public health system.
In addition, citizens of Australia are also often encouraged to use the private insurance system as a matter of convenience since "public hospitals may have long waiting lists [for elective surgery], whereas you could get your treatment more swiftly in the private system."
SO Tell me about how Obamacare is working in Australia you fucking Twit