Daily Prompt: Right to Health … Wow what a question for an Australian

Yes I am Australian, that means I have Universal Healthcare.  What does that mean? Healthcare is provided by both private and government institutions.  The Government’s system is known as Medicare.  Medicare funds affordable primary health care treatment for ALL Australian Citizens.  Residents with a Medicare card can receive subsidised treatment from medical practitioners, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals who have been issued a Medicare provider number, and can also obtain free treatment in public hospitals.  The State governments fund the Hospitals, every major town has Hospital, some have more than one.  In the town where I live we have a major teaching Hospital (linked to the research and medical schools of two universities), a private hospital that is linked by a Sky bridge to the Public Hospital, just in case they cannot treat you effectively in the Private hospital.  The hospital has a heliport, an After hours G.P clinic, Cancer care treatment facility and a drug and Alcohol rehabilitation facility.

Which Prime Minister brought in Medicare?  Gough Whitlam and his Labor government in 1975 as Medibank, and was supplemented by a government-owned private health insurance fund (Medibank Private) in 1976. Medibank was renamed Medicare in 1984.

The answer to this question is yes, and this healthcare should be partly funded by taxes and my contributions a health fund.  It should be Universal, for all, not those who can afford it.

It has worked this way in Australia since 1975 and I don’t see any Government moving away for the model, they may tinker around the edges, the latest was reducing the tax rebate on those that earn a high income.

It works and it works well … although the health of the Australian nation is a topic for another blog.

D 34

This is my reponse to Daily Prompt: Right to Health.

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