The rapid growth in out-of-pocket (OOP) costs has undermined the universality of Medicare and the effectiveness of private health insurance. This paper offers a road map for tackling the problems associated with OOP costs through short- and long- term initiatives, backed by evidence and informed by on-going consultation and evaluation.

In Australia we are faced with a complex health system with entrenched practices, multiple layers and stakeholders divided across federal and state systems, which is also often hard to navigate for both patient and provider. The question we must address is how do we ensure the Health Care Home can reach its potential in Australia...

This report aims to contribute to a future vision for the Australian healthcare system. The report, addressed each question from the perspective of two broad approaches found in the literature; 1) ‘systems thinking approaches’ in applied analyses of healthcare, and 2) ‘complex adaptive systems theory’ as a global theory to understand health care.

The 2016-17 Budget presents a sad story about the level of commitment of the Turnbull Government to Indigenous Affairs. Even as the 2016 Prime Minister's Report on Closing the Gap shows progress towards this goal has stalled, addressing Indigenous disadvantage is not listed as a Budget priority, was not mentioned in the Treasurer’s Budget night...

This expert commentary has been commissioned to contribute to a series of consultation and discussion papers on its future vision for the Australian healthcare system. The commentary team has been engaged to offer independent expertise and experience to prepare this plain English commentary.