This Month
How specialist fees of $900 per visit are hurting private hospitals
Australians are paying hundreds of dollars to see a doctor that they cannot claim back on health insurance.
April
How Labor weaponised Medicare (again) to take on Peter Dutton
Labor has put health at the centre of the election campaign in a strategy to demonise the opposition leader and woo voters with the promise of free doctor visits.
April
BGH Capital GP chain ‘laughing all the way to the bank’ under Labor
The firm - co-founded by Ben Gray, who hosted an election fundraiser for Anthony Albanese - has been a big winner from Labor’s Medicare reforms.
GP salaries of $400k-plus put in spotlight by healthcare election
Labor says GPs will be paid more if they bulk-bill patients, but doctors are doubtful as the costs of running a clinic rise.
Defending private hospitals is essential to ‘saving Medicare’
At Monday’s Financial Review Healthcare Summit, Mark Butler and Anne Ruston should rule in urgent reform that better balances needs of hospital operators and insurers.
February
My patient Shirley would benefit from more bulk billing. Here’s why she won’t
Labor is shining an 8.5 billion-watt spotlight on general practices to divert attention from the elephant in the room that everyone in Australia has seen.
Doctors say not all GP visits will be free under Labor plan
Medical professionals welcome the $8.5 billion Medicare overhaul but urge targeted funding to care for patients who need it most.
Medical costs up, bulk billing down across Australia: report
Access to GPs is shaping up as a contentious issue for the coming federal election.
January
Mediscare ‘he said, she said’ insults voters’ intelligence
A Labor-Coalition electoral clash over bulk billing is not only foolish, but masks the fact that so much more needs to be done to keep our healthcare system fit for purpose.
November 2024
GP referrals to be axed under proposed health shake-up
Patients could skip a visit to their GP when obtaining referrals to some specialists under the recommendations of Labor’s inquiry into the healthcare system.
May 2024
Victoria, South Australia exempt GPs from payroll tax
The Victorian decision represents a backflip by the Allan government that will cost the state budget $10 million a year.
June 2023
Wesfarmers and Woolworths healthcare forays trigger GP alarm
Wesfarmers and Woolworths are following global retailers into pharmacy and telehealth, fuelling cash-for-care concerns in the medical profession.
February 2023
Prevention agency best medicine to stop chronic health crisis
An independent US-style Centre for Disease Control could push government policy in a healthy direction that can save lives, reduce pressure on hospitals, and help the economy.
‘Enough sickness’ to share GP load among pharmacists, nurses
Nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals want Medicare to be overhauled so they can take on work traditionally done by GPs.
January 2023
The Andrews-Perrottet alliance handballs health problems to others
Anthony Albanese should hear out calls by state premiers for more federal GP funding. Then make it clear why he is not going to comply.
March 2022
GPs angry with $0.5m allocated to nation’s 10-year health plan
After three years of discussions and roundtables, GPs say they need action to implement the nation’s 10-year heathcare plan.
June 2021
Mental health systems badly in need of repair
The economic effect of mental illness is twice that of cancer, and yet treatment systems remain broken. leading to dire situations.
April 2021
How workplaces can help take the sting out of vaccines
Most Australians do want to get vaccinated. Workplace nudging can help make it a social norm.
September 2020
How the coronavirus is dragging healthcare into the 21st century
There's a silver lining to COVID-19. It's accelerating the use of technology and driving cultural change in medicine.
July 2020
The man who fell through every prostate cancer safety net
Position and education aside, like most Australian men, Tony Webber didn't have a clue that his symptoms might signal prostate cancer and the system didn't help him, writes Jill Margo.