2 days Ago
Worrying signs are emerging about aspects of Australia's health system, which will require the attention of whoever wins the May election. Despite big money pledged for Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), only limited attention has been paid by the major parties to key reform priorities. Any fresh reform agenda will be starting from a position of relative strength.
Australia has a good health system that consistently ranks well compared with other wealthy nations – including on life expectancy, which is on the high side. Medicare remains the right infrastructure for funding primary care. But it is now more than 40 years old and needs to be updated and improved.
Policy action is necessary on five fronts: financial barriers to care; managing chronic conditions; mental health and dental care; public hospitals; and the workforce Priced out of care Despite Medicare's promise of universality, around one in 10 people defer seeing a doctor because of the cost. And despite the provision of subsidised drugs via the PBS, people also report missing out on filling prescriptions. Labor has announced big-ticket measures to improve bulk-billing rates and cap PBS prices at A$25 a prescription.
Given cost-of-living pressures are central to the election, it's unsurprising the Coalition has pledged to match both policies. But, critically, neither party has announced anything to improve access to other medical specialists. The gap continues to grow between what specialists charge and what Medicare will cover.
This means some patients are delaying or avoiding necessary care altogether. Complex chronic conditions The health system has not adapted to the rising prevalence of chronic disease in the Australian community. In 2023–24, 18% of the population saw three or more health professionals.
But for 28% of those people, no single provider coordinated their care. Medicare was designed in a different age and needs to be refurbished to respond to this new..
. Stephen Duckett.
