Australia will face problems funding its public hospital and other publicly funded health services if cost increases continue at the current rate in the context of ever-increasing use and an ageing population. The challenges of sustainably financing the cost of health will be exacerbated by inefficiencies in the public hospital sector—unless productivity improvements reduce the...

This paper provides an overview of data about the national response of the health and welfare system to the mental health care needs of Australians. Introduction Mental health services in Australia is an interactive website that provides national data about how the health and welfare system responds to the needs of Australians affected by mental...

The paper provides background information on private health insurance arrangements, as well as the challenges emerging from increasing rates of chronic disease, and discusses the role of Broader Health Cover. Introduction In 2007, a series of major reforms to private health insurance (PHI) were introduced with the passage of the Private Health Insurance Act 2007...

Summary How much elective surgery was there in 2012-13? In 2012-13, Australia's public hospitals admitted about 673,000 patients from elective surgery waiting lists (as either elective or emergency admissions). Almost 1 in 4 of these patients was admitted for General surgery (surgery on organs of the abdomen) and about 1 in 7 was admitted for...

This report examines health services, Aboriginal community controlled and non-community controlled health organisations, funded by the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. Summary Primary health care In 2011-12, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health-care services, funded by the Australian Government, provided 2.6 million episodes of health care to about 445,000 clients. Compared...