60-day scrips can mean fewer trips to the pharmacist and lower costs. But only one in five eligible scripts are for a 60-day supply. Here’s what’s going wrong.
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Articles on Health economics
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Australians will save on the costs of scripts and on GP visits. But the budget doesn’t start the reforms needed to secure the health system’s long-term future.
The PM says the PBS is not up for negotiation, while the opposition leader says it’s the envy of the world. But how did we get this system, and how does it compare?
Medicare urgent care clinics were first set up in 2023. But are they meeting their objectives?
If Australia followed England’s lead and listed drugs such as Wegovy on the PBS for weight loss, this could bring the cost down from around $500 a month to $31.60.
The evidence suggests there’s benefit to getting those on higher incomes to contribute a small amount to the cost of seeing a GP.
Australia’s child vaccination rates used to be among the best in the world. But after peaking in 2020, they’re falling.
Fewer than half of Australians are always bulk billed when they see a GP. Labor’s Medicare plan, which the Coalition has promised to match, could turn this around.
The funding has been billed as a way to shorten waits for care in emergency departments and for elective surgery. But will it really make a difference?
Some communities have too few GPs to ensure everyone can get the care they need, when they need it. Whoever wins the federal election should commit to fixing this.
As the middlemen between drug companies and insurers, PBMs are shoo-ins as the villains behind high drug prices. But they do play a useful role in the health marketplace.
While some policies have made the price of certain health care services more transparent, they don’t guarantee patients won’t be surprised by how much they’ll need to pay out of pocket.
Some private health insurers are offering their members easier access to GP telehealth services, sometimes for free.
The roles of health professionals such as nurses, physiotherapists and psychologists have been frozen for decades. A new review shows how this can change.
COVID antivirals are recommended for people aged over 70 and those at risk of severe illness. But many older Australians are missing out. Here’s why – and how to fix this problem.
A government review into private hospitals has yet to be made public. In the meantime, here’s whether there’s a case for a government bail-out.
More Australians delay or skip dental care because of cost than their peers in most wealthy countries. Adding dental to Medicare wouldn’t be easy, but it would vastly improve Australians’ health.
Patients often bear the cost of unexpected bills for basic preventive services such as wellness visits and cancer screenings.
After months of negotiations between the major parties, the government has announced its new plan for aged care. Here’s what it means for people in residential aged care and their families.
Aged care providers can’t find staff and a crisis is brewing. If the problem isn’t fixed, there are serious risks to quality and access to services for older people who need support.
Top contributors
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Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne
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Program Director, Health and Aged Care, Grattan Institute
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Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University
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Professor of Health Economics and Director, Centre for Health Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University
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Professor of Health Economics, The University of Melbourne
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Reader in Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics, University of York
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Professor of Health Economics, Flinders University
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, University of Sydney
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Professor of Health Economics and Director, Centre for Health Economics Research and Evaluation, University of Technology Sydney
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Health economist, University of Sydney
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Professor, Public Service Research, UNSW Sydney
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Senior Policy Adviser, National Rural Health Alliance; Adjunct Lecturer, University of Sydney
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Jim Gillespie is a Friend of The Conversation.
Associate Professor in Health Policy, Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data & Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney
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Lecturer, Public Sector Finance, University of Canberra
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Senior lecturer, Economics Department, University of Technology Sydney
