Week 9: Social Welfare Part 3/ HEALTH

Question 1

What are the principles for assessing performance of health care systems?

Answer 1

• equity of outcome
• equity of access
• choice (often in tension)
• health care as a universal human right

Question 2

Does Australia have a universal healthcare system?

What are the exceptions?

Answer 2

Yes, because people are entitled to healthcare.

Exception to this is non citizens, refugees, non residents

Question 3

Why are there concerns about evolution of a 2 tiered system?

Answer 3

• services to the poor will be poor services

- not closing the gap

Question 4

How much longer are white Australian’s living compared to Indigenous?

Answer 4

Men (80yrs) - Indigenous 12 years less

Women (84yrs) Indigenous 19 yrs less

Question 5

Why should health be a right in Australia?

Answer 5

• we pay taxes

Question 6

Health and social problems are closely related to??

Answer 6

• inequality among rich countries

- its not about the wealth of the country, its about the degree of inequality

Question 7

Why is Australian health improving?

Answer 7

• lower smoking/drinking rates
• fewer heart attacks/stroke
• asthma/COPD death rates improving
• cancer death rates decreasing
• vaccination rates better

Question 8

What could be improved in Australian health?

Answer 8

• obesity/diabetes is rising
• dementia rising
• kidney disease rising
• mental health high prevalence
• oral health linked to socio-economic status

Question 9

what are the roles and responsibilities of commonwealth finances?

Answer 9

• medicare (GPS etc)
• Pharmaceutical benefits scheme
• private health insurance regulation & fiscal welfare

Question 10

roles/responsibilities of states/territories?

Answer 10

• planning/delivery health services
• hospitals,outpatient services,public dental
• community health (though shifting)

Question 11

what grants are states/territories largely dependent on?

Answer 11

• commonwealth grants: national health care agreements

Question 12

most government spending goes to?

Answer 12

• hospitals
• medical services
• pharmaceuticals
• other high cost institutional-based care (residential aged care facilities)

Question 13

how much of government budget do public hospitals consume?

Answer 13

around one third (and growing)

Question 14

what is the fastest growing component of health care in australia?

Answer 14

pharmaceuticals

Question 15

less than __% goes to community health sector and public health services?

Answer 15

10%

Question 16

why is medicare considered essential to good health and good for society?

Answer 16

universal access regardless of income

Question 17

how is medicare financed

Answer 17

1.5% levy and + 1% for high income

Question 18

why is the medicare safety net deemed misplaced expenditure?

Answer 18

• wealthy sections of community are greatest beneficiary of safety net
• 20% australians received 55% safety net benefits, whereas 20% living in poorest areas received less than 4%

Question 19

how do co-payments increase efficiency/ inefficiency

Answer 19

• increase when discourage unnecessary use

- decrease efficiency when discourage necessary use

Question 20

what are the increasing barriers to accessing health?

Answer 20

• ability to pay ‘class based access’
• increase waiting times for public hospitals
• increase use of A&E instead of GPs
• increased co-payments/ cost gaps
• cost of dental care significant
• allied health for chronic disease and mental health

Question 21

what is the pharmaceutical benefits scheme

Answer 21

• right of citizens to affordable medicines

- responsibility of commonwealth gov.

Question 22

critiques of private health insurance rebate?

Answer 22

• lower socioeconomic groups meeting some of the cost of more affluent people who use private health services
• ‘white anting’ the public system
• subsidises queue jumping, higher care and ‘status goods’
• private system do not provide comprehensive service
• take out PHI as tax benefit, but still use public hospital system
  remember: private hospital user gets medicare rebate

Question 23

issues of mental health system

Answer 23

• limited development of community services and doubling population
• decrease in federal funding
• people struggle to get basic help
• inadequate access
• gaps in training
• human rights concern

Question 24

impacts of dementia

Answer 24

• cause of disability
• shortage of carers
• cost over 5bil
• 50% residents in aged care facilities