Category
Medicare
10 articles
Australia's Public Dental Health Crisis: The Medicare Gap That Harms Millions
Dental health is excluded from Medicare despite overwhelming evidence that oral health is integral to systemic health. Here's the policy case for universal dental coverage, the cost of inaction, and what reform would look like.
Telehealth Permanency in Australia: The Case for Making COVID-Era Reforms Last
Australia's COVID-era telehealth expansion delivered measurable access gains for rural patients, mental health consumers, and specialist-deprived communities. A policy analysis of what has been made permanent, what remains under review, and why the evidence strongly supports a fully permanent tiered telehealth model.
Australia's Bulk Billing Crisis: Why Medicare Is Failing and What Needs to Change
Bulk billing rates for GP visits fell from roughly 88% in 2022 to 76% in 2024. A policy analysis of rebate indexation failures, the GP workforce crisis, out-of-pocket cost inequity, and the specific reforms needed to restore universal access to primary care.
Mental Health Parity in Australia: The Policy Gap and Reform Priorities
Mental health conditions affect one in five Australians annually, yet mental health funding, Medicare rebates, and private health insurance coverage remain structurally inequitable compared to physical health. This analysis examines the parity gap and the policy changes needed to close it.
Bariatric Surgery Access in Australia: Policy Failures, Equity Gaps, and the Case for Reform
Australia's bariatric surgery system is two-tiered, inequitable, and failing hundreds of thousands of people with severe obesity. A policy analysis of access barriers, public waitlist failures, the economic case for expanded funding, and the role of GLP-1 medications in reshaping the surgical pipeline.
Mental Health Medicare Reform in Australia: What's Working, What's Failing, and What Must Change
Australia's Better Access scheme has improved mental health care for many, but the 2023 reversal of 20 subsidised sessions, persistent cost barriers, workforce shortages, and system gaps leave too many people undertreated. A policy analysis of what reform is needed and why.
Australia's GP Workforce Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Solutions
Australia faces a significant and worsening GP shortage, with rural and outer-suburban communities hardest hit. This analysis examines the structural causes, the downstream effects on preventive care and hospital pressure, and the evidence-based policy reforms needed to rebuild the primary care workforce.
Preventive Health Funding in Australia: The Policy Case for Investment
Australia spends roughly 1.8% of total health expenditure on prevention versus the WHO 5% benchmark. A policy analysis of underinvestment, return on investment evidence, and costed reform proposals for 2026 and beyond.
Medicare and PBS Reform for Obesity Treatment: What Australia Needs to Do
Australia's PBS coverage of obesity medications is inadequate, inequitable, and out of step with the clinical evidence. A policy analysis of the case for expanded PBS listing of GLP-1 receptor agonists and what reform should look like.
Metabolic Syndrome in Australia: The Policy Gap Between Evidence and Action
Australia's metabolic syndrome burden is large, growing, and poorly addressed by current Medicare and public health policy. An evidence-based analysis of the gap between what the research shows and what the health system delivers.