More evidence underscore research findings that Australians pay more for medicine than people in many other countries.
"Dr Kemp said out-of-pocket expenditure for Australian patients ranked 4th of 14 OCED countries with universal pharmaceutical ..."
The latest health statistics has revealed that patients pay $900 a year out of pocket a considerable amount for the average income earner.
" Growth in overall cost and volume of services over the past decade has outstripped the rest of the Western world, says the federal government's health spending report, released today. This week the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, floated the idea of a revamp of the $17 billion a year Medicare system - one of the few big areas of federal spending to have escaped a shake-up."
On a national basis, it adds up to a whopping 1 billion AUD just for routine medical needs.
''As well as setting the fee for a consultation, a GP can be influential in determining not only the cost of prescription medications, but also decisions about whether a patient will be required to pay for pathology referrals,'' Mr Baker, an institute research fellow, said. He proposed dismantling incentive payments to encourage bulk billing, measures he said were not working. He questioned the need for the Medicare safety net in what was supposed to be a universal health scheme.
Australians spent a total of $120 billion on health in 2009-10, putting them slightly below the average of developed nations as a proportion of GDP.
Ms Roxon said the figures showed that the Commonwealth's share of public hospital spending had increased three years in a row to 39.7 per cent, after years of decline under the Coalition government.
That has not taken into account that coverage has been sought by some include many families paying as much as $2,000 a year for private medical health fund.
Moreover, dental is not covered by Medicare and could cost a family $200 to $500 per visit depending on the complexity of the procedures and services.
Despite the spiralling costs of medical care professionals may not earning as much as decades ago due to higher risks translated into their indemnity insurance.
The declining standards and rising costs of healthcare has long been an issue of concern.
Given inflation and rising costs of modern medicines, the proportion and monetary terms of government subsidies and promise of public healthcare has become more elusive than ever. Those with life threatening and chronic illnesses could not afford to wait or compromise on given lesser priority than paying patients.
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