1. Issues in Australian Health Care
Unit 2, Outcome 3

2. Health Care in Australia
Read through worksheet together
Complete the mix and match the words
Read through Funding the health care system (highlighting key information)
paste this worksheet into folder

3. Quick Quiz from Reading..
Put sheets away
1) What is the role of the Commonwealth Government in health care?
2) What is main responsibility of the State or Territory Government?
3) What do Local Governments look after?
4) Name 3 services that Individual and Non-Government organisations provide service for?

4. Answers Formations of national policies
Fund Health programs for war vets and families
Medicare
Planning and delivery of health services
Ensure adequate health services are available to the population
Eg. Public hospitals, community health centres
Also administering the registration of health professionals such as doctors, dentists
Controlling the spread of disease – immunisation programs, collection of rubbish, sewage, clean conditions in public areas, preparation areas in restuarants etc
Dental, physiotherapy, chiropractic, private hospitals, some nursing homes
Others like – Cancer Council, National Heart Foundation, Australia Red Cross

5. Role of Government and non-government organisations
In Australia, all 3 levels of government play an important role in providing health care.
Government
1) Commonwealth Government is responsible for
Management of Medicare
Development and regulation of health policy and legislation
Control of pharmaceuticals
Establishing and maintaining food regulations through food standards Australia

6. 2) The State Government, provide guidance and direction to local authorities. They also provide a wide range of health services and health care programs
Services in the areas of children, adolescents and family
Pre and post natal health
School health
Mental health
Dental health
Rehabilitation
Preventative and early detection programs ie. Breast screen program

7. 3) Local Government have a responsibility to provide a healthy and safe environment for the community

8. Non Government Sector
Provides many health services, including those provided by the private hospitals, dentists, private medical practitioners, other health care professionals such as physiotherapists, pharmacies and diagnostic laboratories (pathology)
Non Government Agencies such as the Cancer Council play an important role in health care
- They fund research, education and counselling, support legislation and develop and implement health promotion campaigns.

9. Funding
The money required to fund the health care system comes from 3 major sources
Compulsory Medicare Levy that is paid by taxpayers to the commonwealth government. This levy is 1.5% of an individual’s taxable income.
In 2000, the amount collected totalled $4.35billion. This is insufficient to meet health care costs.

10. Taxes such as GST (Goods and Service Tax), income tax and a range of other taxes that are paid to each level of government.
Payment made by individuals for health care expenses such as private health insurance, dental treatment, ambulance, physiotherapy, chiropractic.

11. Estimated Cost It is estimated that in 2003-04,
$ million was spent of health care in Australia – an average of $3930 per person.

12. Health Care in Australia
Often a patient’s first contact with the health system is through a general practitioner (GP) of their choice and the service is often available for little or no cost by Medicare.
For further care, a GP may refer a patient to a specialist, allied health professional, hospital or community based healthcare organisations.
Funding for allied health services will depend on where and how the patient is treated.

13. Many Australians also seek care from Private Sector Health Professionals whose services are not covered by Medicare – eg. Denists, physiotherapists
Charges for these treatments can be either met by or partly by private health insurance or paid in full by the patient.

14. Biomedical vs Preventative Healthcare
The Australian healthcare system relies on a mix of both biomedical and preventative health care in order to meet the needs of a wide range of people and illnesses.
Biomedical Healthcare
Focuses on the medical profession and aims to treat physical and or biological disease or illness.
Eg. Diagnosis (identifying illness through the use of tests)
Intervention (medical treatment to cure, control or treat illness)
- examples include blood tests, x-rays, medications and surgery.

15. Preventative Health Care – 3 levels
Primary Prevention
- To prevent the onset of illness, injury & or disease.
Through education and awareness campaigns
Secondary Prevention
- To detect and treat illness at the earliest time possible.
Often direction is before disease is fully developed
eg. Mammograms
Tertiary Prevention
- To provide treatment, rehabilitation and support for people who already suffer from a disease & illness

16. What is Medicare?
Medicare is a very important part of Australia’s health care system. It was introduced in Before this time, almost 2 million Australians were not covered by health insurance. This meant that many people who could not afford to pay for medical care either remained ill or had to try to raise money in some way. This meant that “wealthy” people tended to be healthy while “poorer” people suffered from poor health. Medicare is the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government and is administered by the Health Insurance Commission.

17. Under Medicare, all Australian residents are able to receive free treatment in any public hospital regardless of their age, how much money they have or how sick they might be. It also provides cheaper prescription medicine to people who need it. Medicare also enables people to receive free or cheaper treatment for medical services.

18. The system allows for disadvantaged groups to be given health care cards which makes the cost more affordable. A schedule of fees has been developed for all medical services and Medicare will refund or pay for 85% of the cost of visiting a doctor, specialist or optometrist. However, medical practitioners are not required to charge patients the scheduled fee so sometimes patients must pay the 15% gap and any additional charges above the scheduled fee or service.
In , Medicare provided benefits (helped meet the cost of) million services.

19. The Objectives of Medicare…
To make health care affordable for all Australian
To give all Australians access to health care services with priority according to clinical need
To provide a high quality of care

20. What is Medicare * Read through information sheets
What does Medicare cover? What’s not covered by Medicare?
- Paste this worksheet into your workbook.

21. What is Medicare Worksheet
Read the information sheet and question the attached questions.
Read the questions first so that you can highlight key information as you go
Paste these worksheets into your workbook

22. Private Health Insurance
While all Australians can have access to free treatment in a public hospital, many people choose to purchase private health insurance so they can be treated by the doctor of their choice, avoid long waiting lists and have health services not covered by Medicare. If you purchase private health insurance you are covered financially against some or all of the costs of being a private patient in either a public or private hospital. There are many private health insurance policies to choose from.

23. There are 4 categories of private health insurance membership – singles, couples without children, sole parents and couples with children. The funds are able to provide a level of insurance that meets the needs of different groups of purchases. You can purchase
Hospital cover only
Extras cover

24. Hospital Cover
Provides benefits for in-hospital treatment and accommodation for private patients.
As a private patient you can generally be treated by whom, where and when you want.

25. Extra cover
Entitles the patient benefits for services not provided by Medicare such as glasses and contact lenses, dental, ambulance and chiropractor.

26. Other Options for Private Health Cover
* There are a range of different private health companies which offer different options for coverage.
Before taking insurance think carefully about your needs and what best suits you.

27. The role of the Federal Government in Private Health Insurance
Private health insurance is regulated by the Commonwealth government and there have been a range of incentives introduced to encourage people to purchase private health insurance.
- In 2000, life time health cover was introduced.
From July 2000, people who joined a health fund before their 30th B’day and maintained their cover would pay lower costs for their premiums compared with someone who joined later in life.

28. Those taking out private health insurance >30 would pay an additional 2% premium for each year over 30.
The government also provides a rebate (refund) of 30% of the cost of the premiums for private health insurance
High income earners also have to pay an additional 1% Medicare levy.
* These incentives have helped to increase the number of Australians who have purchased private health insurance.

29. Private Health Insurance Handout
Read through handout (highlighting as you go)
Paste into workbooks

30. Holiday Homework… This is essential for your upcoming SAC!!!
Read through
“In focus” – Complementary and Alternative Health Services, pages
Define Complementary Health
Alternative Health Care Services
Briefly describe the following alternative therapy
Bowen Theray, Herbal Medicine, Kinesiology, Massage
Meditation, Naturopathy, Reflexology, Reiki, Traditional Chinese Medicine
Complete Activity 13.5 – Research Task page 376
Work individually, provide a A4 information sheet or brochure

31. Private Health Insurance Investigation
Read through handout and complete activity.

32. Exploring issues in Health Care
Issues such as:
Medical technology
Human rights and ethics
Environmental health
Rural and remote areas
Ageing populations

33. Medical Technology Gene technology Genetic Testing
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis
Gene Therapy
Used to assist in the development
of new treatments for disease
Therapeutics
used to help develop new
drugs that are able to target
disease-causing genes
Cloning
Including both stem cell and
reproductive cloning

34. Genetics Testing
Involved the analysis of DNA and is used to determine genetic make-up and susceptibility to inherited illness
- Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis requires parents to use IVF to generate their embryo. The embryo is then tested for the disease and doctors will only transfer unaffected embryos into the mother.

35. Human Rights and Ethics
Human rights include:
The right to freedom regardless of race, colour, sex, religion or social origin
The right to life
The right to an adequate standard of living
The right to education
The right to equal pay for equal work
It is important to consider all human rights in the provision of health care

36. Ethics
When considering issues, one needs to draw upon their morals (their beliefs of what is right and wrong) and consider who will be affected as well as how they will be affected (risks versus advantages)
Within Australia society people have differing views on many issues especially genetic testing.

37. Genetics and Ethics Basic principles of medical ethics
A duty to do more good than harm
The duty not to cause harm
Respect for an individuals rights including privacy
Fair equitable and appropriate treatment to all

38. Environmental health Some risks to environmental health include:
- Housing conditions, sanitation, drinking water quality, food safety and disease control
- Climate change and increasing pressure on water supplies

39. Rural and remote areas - services
It is difficult to recruit and retaining trained health professionals to work in regional and remote areas.
Why do you think so??
Obstacles for the population in assessing the services in these areas
cost, location, lack of services, transport, knowledge, time and number of available health workers per population in country areas

40. Ageing Population
Australians are living longer and healthier lives and as a result there are greater numbers of older Australian aged 70
years +
Providing adequate and appropriate care and housing for the ageing population has become a significant health issue in Australia.

41. Worksheets and Discussion Topics
When Size Matters (44-45)
Call for smokers to wait for surgery (46)
* Same sex couples – IVF

42. Your task is read through the worksheets and in pairs write a response to the both articles and the statement
( words). Think of the positives and negatives. Think of ethics and values. Think of the impact it has on PIES.
Article 1 – When Size Matters?
Article 2 – Call for smokers to wait for surgery
Statement – “Homosexual couples, whether male or female, are within their rights to form a family with children