Unit 2 HHD Australia's Health Care System

What is Medicare in Australia?

• Private health insurance

• A government program that pays for or subsidies health care costs.

• Giving out free medicine

• Giving out money to pay for things

What does Medicare cover?

• Schedule fee of a consultation with a doctor.

• Schedule fee of a x-ray

• Schedule fee of a pathology test

• Schedule fee of a surgery in a public hospital

• 75% of Schedule fee of a surgery in a private hospital

The Medicare Safety Net:

• Ensures that people who require frequent services covered by Medicare receive additional support.

• Kicks in when medical expenses reach a certain level

• Catches people if they fall over in a hospital

• Has no impact on the H&W of patients

Bulk billing:

• Is an added charge from doctors for overweight patients

• Is when doctors accept the Medicare benefit (the Schedule fee about $41 in 2025) as full payment.

• Is when the doctor doesn't get patients to pay their account until it exceeds $10,000.

• Includes a co-payment of usually $45

What is not covered by Medicare?

• Treatment in public hospitals

• Accommodation in private hospitals

• Most dental examinations

• Ambulance services

Advantages of Medicare:

• Reduced cost of essential medical services

• Is available to all Australians

• Reciprocal agreement between Australia and some other countries so can receive same benefits in New Zealand if something goes wrong on holiday.

• Allows patients to have a choice of doctor for out of hospital services.

Disadvantages of Medicare:

• No choice of doctor for in-hospital treatments

• Waiting lists for many treatments can be long

• Does not cover alternative therapies or allied health services

• Often does not cover the full amount of a doctor's visit

How is Medicare paid for?

• Through general taxation (income tax)

• The Medicare levy

• The Medicare levy surcharge

• Through donations by generous prisons

The Medicare levy is?

• An additional 20% tax placed on the untaxable income of taxpayers

• A hydro dam that was paid for by Medicare

• An additional 2% tax placed on the taxable income of most taxpayers

• Not paid by Government pension card holders or those who make less than $20,000.

The Medicare levy surcharge is?

• A discount for high earners

• An extra cost for low earners

• Only applies to Private hospital visits

• An additional 1 to 1.5 % tax on the income of people without private health insurance earning more than a certain amount ($101,000 for individuals or $202,000 for families.)