GPs and primary care
10 November 2015
Aged and confused: why the private health insurance industry is ripe for reform
Among a number of reviews announced by Health Minister Sussan Ley is a comprehensive review of private health insurance. The last major review of private health insurance found that “private health insurance is unnecessarily complex and beyond the comprehension of many”.
9 November 2015
Private health insurance to cover the GP gap is a costly mistake
Allowing insurers to insure the gap between a general practitioner’s fees and the rebate from Medicare is under discussion as part of the government’s review of private health insurance.
12 May 2015
E-health, prevention and primary care
The 2014 budget’s big primary health care idea received a fierce backlash and failed to pass the Senate. This year there are some positive changes, but what is missing above all is a big-picture agenda for the future of primary health.
28 April 2015
Consumer and community engagement in Primary Health Networks
In this article, Stephen Duckett argues that newly-established Primary health networks should involve consumers at a number of points in the commissioning cycle for their services.
30 March 2015
Take the initiative to link hospital and primary care
Health costs are increasing and the budget screws are tightening more. The opportunities are great. Queensland projects have already demonstrated ways to benefit hospitals, GPs and patients.
30 September 2013
Access all areas: Time for a new solution to primary care access for rural Australians
How hard it is to see a GP – and how much it will cost you – depends on where you live. In the places with the fewest GP services per person, patients are more than twice as likely to pay out-of-pocket costs. That is one reason why people in very remote areas are much more likely not to see a doctor about their health problem.
29 September 2013
Waiting for action on access to GPs in rural Australia
A new Grattan Institute report released today, Access all areas, tells a mixed story about Australians’ access to general practitioners (GPs). The good news is access is getting better in many parts of Australia. The bad news is the progress is slowest where it’s needed most.
14 May 2013
Why expanding our breast screening program makes economic sense
Health Minister Plibersek has done well in expanding the breast screening program. But she could have gone further.