Australia’s health service is coming under increasing fire because it is now among the most expensive schemes in the world – and is leaving many expats with the dilemma over how to pay for treatment.
Critics say the scheme is now so expensive that it is almost double the cost of health service schemes in the UK and France.
The problem is that only the basic treatments are covered by the country’s Medicare system and at almost every level extra costs are being applied to treatments which are to be funded by the patient.
Figures released by the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) reveal that the country has made the list for the top five highest-spending healthcare nations in the world.
The CHF says that nearly 20% of the country’s total health costs are now being paid on top of private insurance and tax.
Two-tier health service
Carol Bennett, chief executive of CHF, said: “Every time an Australian sees their GP or medical specialist, or undergoes a medical test, or even goes to the dentist, there’s usually another payment.
“Those payments for people who have chronic conditions can run into tens of thousands of dollars especially if they need surgery carried out privately.”
The situation, she says, has led to a two-tier health system as Australians pay twice the amount in out-of-pocket expenses compared to people in the UK or France.
Ms Bennett warns that the situation is now becoming so serious that many people are having to make choices over whether they can afford to access healthcare or not.
She added: “We have a system which provides good access to healthcare if you can afford to pay; if you can’t afford to pay then you’ll probably miss out.”
Doctors bills
The figures from CHF calculate that, on average, an Australian family will have to spend an extra £333 just to meet doctors’ bills because of gaps left by Medicare.
However, the same families are then faced with forking out another £800 to pay for prescriptions and medicines which aren’t covered by the country’s pharmaceutical benefits system (PBS).
Now CHF is warning that unless something is done by the leading political parties to tackle funding reform in the country’s healthcare system, those costs will continue to grow and leave increasing numbers of Australians, and expats, unable to meet their medical costs.
Ms Bennett praised the Medicare system which has been running for 40 years in Australia but, she adds, the system no longer works for Australians with many people finding it too expensive to afford healthcare costs in their own country.
