since Canada seems to be the ONLY system being compared to ours these days
Would I be wrong in figuring that this is because they're next door, and nothing to do with the quality/representative nature of its national health care system.
But because I realize I know so very little about Australia's NHS (Medicare), I will give you some facts you probably already know, being interested in the subject more than I am: - had a hard time getting passed, but did so in 1975 (yay Whitlam!) - is paid for by a 1.5% income tax levy. - directly after inception was split into public and private branches (both owned by the government) but the private one has been completely privatised. - cost $18.3 billion in 2007-08, which is about 43% of the health budget.
However, I can't say anything about hospitals and waiting times because I've never had to go to the hospital (well once, but it was a public hospital and the waiting time was because it was a public holiday and anyway I only had tonsillitis, it wasn't going anywhere.)
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Date: 2009-07-29 01:09 am (UTC)Would I be wrong in figuring that this is because they're next door, and nothing to do with the quality/representative nature of its national health care system.
But because I realize I know so very little about Australia's NHS (Medicare), I will give you some facts you probably already know, being interested in the subject more than I am:
- had a hard time getting passed, but did so in 1975 (yay Whitlam!)
- is paid for by a 1.5% income tax levy.
- directly after inception was split into public and private branches (both owned by the government) but the private one has been completely privatised.
- cost $18.3 billion in 2007-08, which is about 43% of the health budget.
However, I can't say anything about hospitals and waiting times because I've never had to go to the hospital (well once, but it was a public hospital and the waiting time was because it was a public holiday and anyway I only had tonsillitis, it wasn't going anywhere.)