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Health Care in Australia

Australia has one of the world’s best developed health systems. The official name is Medicare. The country has a comprehensive health care system that ensures the universal access of all citizens to treatment which is out of hospitals. These services are sponsored by the government.

There are two tiers of funding for the medical system: public and private. First, is the health tax levied on all citizens. It is 1.5% for regular tax payers and 2.5% for high income individuals.

Second, are the private health insurance organizations. The biggest one among them is Medibank Private. The main difference here between Australia and the United States is that this biggest company is actually government-owned. It operates as government business enterprise and operates under the same conditions as its private competitors. In 2007 the government of the Coalition Howard had planned to privatize the enterprise. However, the recent change in government and the inception of Kevin Rudd canceled these plans. The new prime minister has pledged to keep the company as government-owned.

The private sector is quite diverse. There are for-profit and non-for-profit health insurance companies. There are some that are designed only for special groups and there are open ones. Furthermore, new internet-based companies were introduced that allow every person to compare and apply for health insurance online.

All health insurance companies are regulated by the Private Health Insurance Act of 2007. Furthermore, a special authority has been established to monitor the activities of these companies due to the important nature of their business. It is called the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman. This regulatory body is responsible for complains and recommendations made to and by the companies. It also takes the function of reporting of the whole industry.

The comprehensiveness and diversity of private options plus the universal government-sponsored services create a health care system that does not leave anybody out. This is why Australia has been placed among the highest countries in global health care rankings

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