VICDOC Summer 2023 - Magazine - Page 70
F ED FACTS
NAVIGATING THE
FUTURE OF PRIVATE
HEALTHCARE:
A CALL FOR
COLLABORATION + REFORM
-
PROFESSOR STEVE ROBSON
AMA PRESIDENT
AUSTRALIA’S PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HEALTH
SYSTEMS RELY ON EACH OTHER TO THRIVE
-
In recent years, we have witnessed
distressing scenes at our public hospitals.
These scenes are reflected in media report
after media report showing ambulances
spending hours ramped outside hospitals as
emergency departments are overflowing.
Hundreds of thousands of Australians are
suffering in pain as they wait years for
crucial surgeries, and there are extended
wait times for outpatient appointments.
As we hear horror story after horror
story, the need for reform becomes more
and more evident and a 'do nothing'
approach is unthinkable.
The private sector is indispensable in
the healthcare system. It offers patients
choice, access to specialists and timely
treatments. This is why a significant
number of Australians continue to invest
in private health insurance. It’s simple,
70
AMA VI C TO RIA
we need the private health sector. The
already struggling public system, which
desperately needs better funding, would
be in an even worse situation if private
health became unsustainable.
But there are many issues threatening
that sustainability, and they are going
unresolved due to decades of little reform
to keep up with the evolving needs of
modern-day Australia.
Private health insurance membership
is growing, but many members are older
Australians who require more costly
medical procedures. Striking a balance
between affordability of insurance policies
and the cost of delivering care remains a
critical challenge.
In late October, the AMA convened a
Private Health System Reform workshop
with leaders from across the private
health sector to help unearth solutions
to these growing issues. The mere fact
top representatives from some of the
country’s biggest private health providers,
