Image courtesy of: Fairfax Review
Medicare explained and how it benefits Doctors and Patients alike
This week, we all sat with anticipation to witness history in the making. Australian Prime Minister, Mr Malcolm Turnbull, made headlines for all the right reasons when he met with the 49th President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump. It’s with confidence that we say we weren’t the only ones proud to be Aussie this week when President Trump made reference to the outstanding Australian medical healthcare benefits scheme - Medicare. What is Medicare? Introduced in 1975, Medicare is the greatest legacy and brainchild of Late Prime Minister, the Honourable Gough Whitlam. It was his vision that our Nation’s healthcare system would be accessible to every Australian citizen, irrespective or race, religion, or socio-economic status. Affluent or financially destitute, each and every Australian would have the equal right to access healthcare and be seen by a doctor. How does this improve our nation? Medicare improves the lives of all Australians in two ways. Firstly, a healthy body is a working body, and a working body pays their taxes. By keeping our people healthy, they remain active and participating members of the community. Secondly, doctors get to work on EVERYONE not just the insured. By working on a wide variety of patients, irrespective of their income or health insurance status, it really takes doctors to the core of why they went into medicine in the first place, making Australia a great place to live and work. If you’ve seen the eye-watering bills posted by American citizens showing enormous healthcare costs after an unexpected hospital visit, it begs the question: How is all of this "free health care" paid for?
What next?
From July 2019, Medicare levies are expected to raise an extra $2.55 billion in revenue in its first year, rising to $4.25 billion in 2020-21. These increases means that from 2019-20, one-fifth of revenues raised through the Medicare levy will be injected into an NDIS savings fund where it will be protected for meeting the needs of people living with disability.
It’s this cycle that ensures every Australian has the opportunity to succeed - from all walks of life, and no matter their personal or financial circumstances – something that we’re proud the USA has noticed and remarked on a world stage.
We look forward to seeing how this collaboration progresses for the benefit of the American People.