Health

Created
Wed, 26/04/2023 - 14:23
A selfie in front of a Saab 340 turboprob aeroplane on the apron at Broken Hill [BHX] airport
Leaving Broken Hill

Here I go again - visiting the home of my first 20 years, Cornwall.
I went this time last year as soon as the flights had resumed after all that covid bullshit. I flew home and caught covid at the Blue Anchor. I had never been as sick …

Created
Thu, 27/04/2023 - 04:56
The statistics released by ABC journalist, Stephanie Dalzell on April 20, define a national disgrace and expose a massive hole in the once intact Medicare safety net. The figures are as disturbing as they are worth reading in detail. Only four states release data: Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. As a sample, the average Continue reading »
Created
Fri, 21/04/2023 - 04:56
In 1974, the Whitlam Government decided to exclude dental care from Medicare for two reasons. The first was cost. The second was political. Whitlam felt that combatting the doctors would be hard enough without having to combat dentists as well. Forty-six years later, with Australia much richer and the proven success of Medicare, it is Continue reading »
Created
Tue, 18/04/2023 - 04:52
In a recent article in The Conversation, Professors Stephen Duckett and Fiona McDonald and Ms Emma Campbell suggest “restrict[ing] Medicare access to GPs who agree to bulk bill all patients, while allowing those who don’t bulk bill to rely solely on out-of-pocket payments”. While there is much to commend this proposal, it is not without Continue reading »
Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 04:50
Introduction by Croakey: So much of our day-to-day attention is focused on the problems facing healthcare systems now. Lifting our gaze to envision the likely future challenges – say in 2050 – can help set a course forward. In the first of a two-part series, Croakey editor Jennifer Doggett gazes into a health policy crystal ball, Continue reading »
Created
Sun, 16/04/2023 - 04:54
‘The market’ and ‘life-changing interventions’: two phrases that aren’t normally seen in the same sentence. But increasingly, the market, through innovative design, is leading to life-changing, even life-saving, results. As calls grow for better services and outcomes for Australians, innovative market designs have a key role in providing a bigger bang for the buck in Continue reading »