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SCPL2601
AU
The University Of Sydney
Health is one important aspect of well being and the most important part of health is that one needs to take care of it every step. Many countries have made their health policy or started investing in some policy which can be used for helping the people in overcoming the health-related issues as well. Australia is one of those countries which always prioritize the health of their citizens and make sure that no one suffers from health-related issues. Health priority is always a top priority for the government and right now the Australian government is running one policy that is there for everyone in Australia(Health.gov.au, 2021). It is a policy that guarantees every Australian to have a broad range of health and hospital services at minimum cost. This policy is making sure that the well-being of the people does not go down in Australia. This is not a policy that started in the 21st century but this policy is running strong since the last century itself. This policy was first introduced by Prime Minister Robert Hawke in 1984 and no one could have imagined that this policy will go such places and will be one of the best policies in the years to come(Boxall, 2019). This policy has its significance as well. One can say that things were not so good in Australia before this policy was implemented.
The Health system in the 1970s was not so good and there was no proper treatment as well. The system was broken and more importantly, due to the presence of inequality in Australia, it was tough for someone to get proper treatment(Callander, 2019). And the worse part is that a needy person has to suffer a lot in case of any emergency. If the person survives everything and receives the treatment, the bills were so high that a person can be pushed into poverty with the ample size of the medical bills. A person can do nothing other than just end up paying the bills for life. The system needed reform as the bills and the treatment was getting out of the common man and there was no scope where a person can get proper treatment as well. Australian government tried to set up the example for the entire and launch a platform where the health system will be brought in control and the insufficient amount of bills will be cut into the minimum price(Morgan & Campbell, 2011). Neal Blewett who was the health minister in 1984 when Medicare was launched played an all-important role in making this policy as it could be said that he was the main man who pushed the idea about the policy and presented it to the cabinet and the rest is history.
Medicare started as a great policy and over the years it has faced a lot of difficulties as well. Australia is one of those countries where inequities are much more than the other countries and people have to suffer a lot(Boxall, 2014). The thing is there are many things which are not in control but at the same time being a policy at a national level one expects regular changes over the time so that the people can get benefit from the same and get better treatment in the life as well. One of the historic things which have been always related with the Medicare is that it was implied in Australia. After the success in the United States of America but at the same, there were many eyebrows raised when this policy was launched as there was common talk in town about the success of this policy and the basic reason behind that was the difference in the culture of the United States of America and Australia(Lew, et al., 2021). People had huge doubts over the implication of the society as they were not sure whether it will be the right move or not. But now in 2021, when an individual will look back and think about this policy launch in 1984 one can see the wonders this policy has done over the years. This policy itself has created history in the health care department of Australia. At the moment the benefit paid to patients under Medicare is about 85% of the free listed for free services in the Medicare Beneficial Schedule(Health.gov, 2021). And when the providers are willing to accept the benefit given by Medicare as full payment then the bill is sent to the government and the patient is not charged.
Every policy faces some kind of issue and no policy in the world has seen a smooth journey over the years without facing criticism. Medicare policy also faced many issues in its 37 years journey in Australia. Australia is a country where a different section of the society exists and many times they all cannot come in one single line or come to support a policy. The difference in society always created the difference in the health care system as well. There have always been cases of inequality reported in the health care system of Australia and there are many communities like Indigenous founds it tough to get proper treatment. This policy is all about getting better treatment and at lower cost and sometimes at zero cost but at the same time it has been noticed that the people from no so developed communities are always kept out from taking the benefit of the policy and the major reason behind this is the inequity and inequality which is present in the people in the healthcare system(Pulok & Gool, 2020). This is one of the challenges which is, again and again, hunting down the system of Health care in Australia. Medicare policy looks clueless as well as there is no such thing to control the things in the hospital. The policy can control the bills of the people and help them get proper treatment as well. But controlling the inequity done by the people out there in the hospital is something that cannot be controlled by this policy.
Another key issue in this policy is that it covers only the public hospitals and it does not cover few costs of private hospitals such as accommodation costs and theatre fees(Healthdirect, 2021). This issue has been bothering people for a long time now as people are expecting a bit more from this policy. The standard and treatment of Private hospitalsare always considered as the best by the people and also the facilities are quite good as compared to public hospitals. People in Australia want this policy to cover this part of the private hospital as well so that it can come under the scheme and they canbetter treatment. The treatmentare controlled in a private system and even the system can put under the radar but at the same time, the cost of accommodation in private hospitals is something that can break the purse of anyone who is having treatment(White & Whaley, 2019). Another notable thing about this policy is that it does not covet the charges of the ambulance. This is a minor issue but the bills of the private hospitals in some fields are out of reach of this policy and this should be sorted as soon as possible. If treatments in the private hospital can be part of the policy then the accommodation should also be covered in that. As maximum treatments need time and accommodation is the first thing a patient needs in the hospital. So Medicare policy needs to do something so that the cost can be controlled as well.
One more thing which has been a key issue for a long time since the Medicare policy was introduced is an increase in demand and health care costs. There is always a budget and money estimation behind any policy. Every policy can cover up to some extent and there are threshold levels of each policy beyond those things that are not in control. In last 37 years, the population has increased very fast in Australia and due to the same reason, it can be said that the things are not same like it was few decades back(Davis, 2018). There was a limited population and things could be covered easily as well. But now the population has increased and few more people are coming under the policy and are becoming beneficiaries over the same. It has eventually led up to an increase in demand and that means the budget has to be increased as well to cover those people under the policy. An increase in budget means bringing the money from some other source like an increase in taxes or anything and that can cause an extra burden on society as well. Health care costs have also risen as well and one can say that the treatment cost has also increased due to changes in the market value related to health(Powers, 2018). Equipment which was available at low price is not available at the same cost this time around. Now every year budget needs to be modified and with population increasing and with an increase in cost it looks like the policy is facing some really hard time. Things are not easy but at the same time money is needed to run such a policy as without a proper amount of money it is tough to run a health sector. This is one of the key issues of this policy because Australia is not a small country and even in terms of population it is no less and people who are taking benefit from this policy are in millions and shortage of money could hamper their chances to get proper treatment as well(Trieu, 2020). It is a tough situation out there but at the same time, things need to be changed.
Every policy has its aim and the model of the policy is designed in such a way that it fulfills its aim and sets examples in the country. For achieving a goal every company has a core value and beliefs which make them work hard to achieve that goal as well. But at the same time, one needs to have assumptions about what challenges or what might happen in the future. The basic core value of Medicare is being accountable for the treatment which is going in the country at a low price than the usual price(Health.gov, 2021). It makes sure that it is responsible for the treatment going in the country at a very low price or even zero price. Working on the core values makes the policy achieve its aim of giving quality treatment to the patients all across the country and making sure that they are not deprived of getting good treatment as the price of the treatment is on the higher side and many people cannot afford the treatment in the hospital and at that time the Medicare policy comes into the picture. They make sure that there is sufficient treatment for everyone.
Medicare belied inbuilding the confidence in the people that they can get up quality treatment as well and there is no hurdle as well. It has been that few medicines are not available in the country but through Medicare, policy one can get access to the medicine at a very low price or zero price(Dixit & Sambasivan, 2021). This policy is building up the confidence in the people that they can easily get the treatment they wanted and there is no much headache of paying large bills of hospital. Medicare makes sure that the treatment is affordable to all and no section of society is left out from receiving quality treatment. It also ensures high-quality care during the treatment period and even after that. This makes the work easier as there are many issues after the treatment but this policy makes sure that a person receivesa complete proper package of care and that can help him in recovering as well. When this policy in pinned down no one could have ever thought that they will be achieving this goal with such ease and the belief and core value were kept in such a way that no one return empty-handed before getting proper treatment. This policy did wonders to many and it has been changing the lives of people forthe last 37 years. Medicare police made sure that they always follow their core values and major beliefs during their journey as it is very important to keep all the things together to achieve a greater goal.
Medicare Care Policy has been a boom to the people of Australia and it has proved crucial in defining the health status of the people. By providing health care treatments over the years it has increased the well-being factor(Servicesaustralia, 2021). Forthe last 37 years, this policy is covering every citizen of Australia and helping him to get the best possible treatment at minimum cost and this is some achievement as they are paying the bills of the people and bills which are very heavy and can push anyone to the poverty line. Over millions of people have received proper treatment under this scheme and at the same time, it looks like many millions will receive the same treatment in the years to come. This policy makes sure that everyone receives proper care and there is no issue of inequality or inequity among the people in the health sector. It covers every community people and does not discriminate based on anything. The government is doing well in funding this policy as they are making sure that no one suffers from health loss due to inadequate treatment. Medicare is funded through the mixed revenue and also by Medicare levy.(Sammut, 2017)The government is trying hard to bring the best for the people across Australia. They are making sure that the quality treatment is easily available and even the medicines which are only available outside Australia are available to the people at very low prices. And there are some Non-government reviews in the favour of this policy as they consider this policy as one of the better policies running in the country.
Like any other policy, this policy has strengths and weaknesses. Importantly the strengths of this policy are much more than the weakness as it is providing the people of Australia the much-needed treatment. The medical system of Australia was always costly and after the implementation of this policy in 1984 it has changed many things and now even the people from backward sections can receive treatment without any hustle(Duckett, 2018). There is no such issue as paying heavy bills. Public hospitals are free for them and they can receive quality treatment over there. Medicare has changed the condition of the medical sector in Australia and now one is kept away from receiving treatment(Dugdale, 2020). Anyone can receive the best care under this scheme. This policy has some weaknesses as well and it should be solved in the upcoming time as well. As the population is increasing, demand is increasing and it is very tough to give treatment to so many people. It needs a lot of staff as well and that is so easily available in Australia. One more important thing is that inequity and inequality still exist in Australia and people face this issue a lot and this is something that can be resolved in this policy. This is one of the finest medical policy worldhas ever witnessed and it is helping a lot but t the same time there is a lot of things which can be changed and that can help the things get better.
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Boxall, A., 2019. Medicare: The making and consolidation of an Australian institution. Successful Public Policy, p. 257.
Callander, E., 2019. Out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure in Australia: trends, inequalities and the impact on household living standards in a high-income country with a universal health care system. Health economics review, 9(1), pp. 1-8.
Davis, J., 2018. Population and migration statistics in Australia. s.l.: Department of Parliamentary Services.
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Dugdale, P., 2020. The Health Policy Scene. Health Policy in Australia, pp. 1-14.
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Morgan, K. & Campbell, A., 2011. The delegated welfare state: Medicare, markets, and the governance of social policy. s.l.:Oxford University Press.
Powers, J., 2018. Value-based healthcare transformation. Value driven healthcare and geriatric medicine, pp. 1-14.
Pulok, H. & Gool, K., 2020. Horizontal inequity in the utilisation of healthcare services in Australia. Health Policy, 124(11), pp. 1263-1271.
S., 2021. Medicare. [Online] Available at: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/medicare
Sammut, J., 2017. Fiscal Fiction: The Real Medicare Levy. s.l.:Centre for Independent Studies.
Trieu, J., 2020. Population growth, ageing and obesity do not sufficiently explain the increased utilization of total knee replacement in Australia. Journal of Surgery, 90(7-8), pp. 1283-1288.
White, C. & Whaley, C., 2019. Prices paid to hospitals by private health plans are high relative to Medicare and vary widely. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.
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