February
Albanese makes $8.5b Medicare overhaul his signature election policy
The prime minister will make Medicare the centrepiece of his re-election campaign, promising to spend big to eliminate patient costs for visits to the doctor.
January
Labor considers ‘blended’ Medicare funding model
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Health Minister Mark Butler are expected to announce a range of new health policies as a cost-of-living relief pitch to voters.
December 2024
Doctors say health insurers have too much control over home care
The AMA is warning that Australia is at risk of adopting “US-style managed care” where insurance companies call all the shots.
June 2024
Doctor told everything fine weeks before service provider collapsed
The founder of collapsed medical telehealth and legal advisory service provider eReports claimed his business would be trading for “many years to come”.
May 2024
Doctors owed millions in collapse of service provider
The Melbourne-headquartered eReports allegedly failed to disclose $7.2 million owed to more than 400 specialists before calling in administrators.
September 2023
Being a GP has taken a toll. Could I earn more in insurance?
Before job hunting and meeting new people, start by articulating your values and interests to narrow your job search, career coach Warren Frehse recommends.
May 2023
Why god-doctors and not bulk billing are Medicare’s biggest problem
Correctly diagnosing what is driving the crisis in front-line health will provide a clearer understanding of how to fix the national insurance scheme.
April 2021
Telehealth gets extension after cost hits $2.8b so far
Telehealth services, which have already covered more than 13 million patients, will be extended.
May 2020
Why doctors are in danger even after the curve has flattened
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the risks to Australia's front-line medics have been great. Even as we edge back towards normality, the danger remains very real.
April 2020
Inside a hospital preparing for a deluge of COVID-19 patients
Michelle Mulligan, clinical director at Royal North Shore hospital, takes the AFR on a tour and has a blunt warning as it prepares for the worst.
Over 40,000 health practitioners recalled to work
It's all hands to the wheel with 40,000 doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists who previously held general or specialist registration being asked to return to work.
February 2020
Doctors' biases are creating costly diagnostic errors
Unconscious biased-reasoning afflicts everyone, but when it comes to physicians and the decisions they make around care and treatment it can be disastrous.
December 2019
Doctor shortage by 2030 sparks calls for reforms
The lack of GPs will be most extreme in urban areas in the next decade due to restrictions on doctors trained overseas.
November 2019
Greedy doctors blamed for spiralling health costs
Greedy doctors, higher hospital bills and expensive prostheses are hammering the private health insurance industry, Grattan Institute research says.
Study finds stents no better than drugs for many heart patients
Invasive surgery generally does no more than medications and lifestyle changes to restore normal blood flow, researchers say.
October 2019
National Home Doctor Service fights inquiry over 'contract doctors'
Australia's largest network of home visiting doctors says it cannot be held accountable for their actions because they are contractors, not staff.
September 2019
QIC checks into Mercury Capital's hospitals business
Private equity manager Mercury Capital is heading towards a healthy pay day at Nexus Day Hospitals.