scholarly journals Reflections on the role of less-than-comprehensive (exclusionary) private health insurance hospital products in the Australian healthcare system

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter E. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Insurance Scheme ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Insurance Policies ◽  
Exclusionary Policies ◽  
First Time

The number of people in Australia that are currently covered by a hospital private health insurance product continues to rise every quarter. In September 2010, for the first time since the introduction of the public universal social insurance scheme, Medicare, more than 10 million persons in Australia are covered by private health insurance. Although the number of persons covered by private health insurance continues to grow, the quality and level of cover that members are holding is changing significantly. In an effort to limit premium rises and to reduce the benefits paid for treatment, private health insurers have introduced, and moved a large number of existing members to, less-than-comprehensive private health insurance policies. These policies, known as ‘exclusionary’ policies, are changing the dynamics of private health insurance in Australia. After examining the emergence and prevalence of these products, this commentary gives three different examples to illustrate how such products are changing the nature of private health insurance in Australia and are now set to create a series of policy issues that will require future attention.

scholarly journals Why it is time to review the role of private health insurance in Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Segal
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Private Provider ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
The Public ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Care System

The role of private health insurance (PHI) within the Australian health-care system is urgently in need ofcomprehensive review. Two decades of universal health cover under Medicare have meant a change in the function ofPHI, which is not reflected in policies to support PHI nor in the public debate around PHI. There is increasingevidence that the series of policy adjustments introduced to support PHI have served to undermine rather than promotethe efficiency and equity of Australia's health care system. While support for PHI has been justified to 'take pressure offthe public hospital system' and to 'facilitate choice of insurer and private provider', and the incentives have indeedincreased PHI membership, this increase comes at a high cost relative to benefits achieved. The redirection of hospitaladmissions from the public to private hospitals is small, with a value considerably less than 25% of the cost of thepolicies. The Commonwealth share of the health care budget has increased and the relative contribution from privatehealth insurance is lower in 2001-02, despite an increase in PHI membership to nearly 45% of the population,compared with the 30% coverage in 1998. The policies have largely directed subsidies to those on higher incomes whoare more likely to take out PHI, and to private insurance companies, private hospitals and medical specialists. Ad hocpolicy adjustments need to be replaced by a coherent policy towards PHI, one that recognises the fundamental changein its role and significance in the context of universal health coverage.

Social versus Private Insurance

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Pestieau ◽  
Mathieu Lefebvre
Keyword(s):  
Social Insurance ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
Population Ageing ◽  
Fiscal Competition ◽  
Public Insurance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Risks ◽  
The Family ◽  
Private And Public

This chapter looks at the role of the public versus the private sector in the provision of insurance against social risks. After having discussed the evolution of the role of the family as support in the first place, the specificity of social insurance is emphasized in opposition to private insurance. Figures show the extent of spending on both private and public insurance and the chapter presents economic reasons to why the latter is more developed than the former. Issues related to moral hazard and adverse selection are addressed. The chapter also discusses somewhat more general arguments supporting social insurance such as population ageing, unemployment, fiscal competition and social dumping.

Social insurance for individualised disability support: implementing the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Purcal ◽  
Karen R. Fisher ◽  
Ariella Meltzer
Keyword(s):  
Social Service ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Disability Insurance ◽  
Insurance Scheme ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Public ◽  
Service Support ◽  
Disability Support ◽  
Insurance Model

Australia is implementing an ambitious new approach to individualised disability support based on a social insurance model. In a world first, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is funded through a levy on income and general taxation and gives Australians with disability an entitlement to social service support. This chapter describes the NDIS approach and implementation so far and summarises concerns and challenges about the NDIS discussed in the literature. It uses data from an action research project to inform feasibility questions about how people find out about and receive the individualised support they need. The chapter highlights a basic gap in people’s familiarity with what individualised support is, how it works and how they might benefit from the new approach. A policy implication is that, with the expansion of individualised support, the public is likely to need various opportunities and forms of information sharing, to explore and learn from each other about what the new approach is and what its possibilities are.

Ichiro the Public Diplomat: Professional Sport as Cultural Intermediary in Configuring US-Japan Relations

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-104
Author(s):  
Derek Moscato
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Engagement ◽  
Public Sentiment ◽  
Survey Responses

Summary This study examines the confluence of sport and soft power within public diplomacy. It analyses professional baseball player Ichiro Suzuki’s role in the United States as a sporting ambassador from Japan — potentially catalysing goodwill, cultural interest, perceptions of national personality traits and even views of policy issues such as international trade and country relations. In doing so, this research draws from non-state public diplomacy, which considers the transnational impacts of non-traditional communication vehicles such as cultural and sporting exchanges. It measures US public sentiment towards Japan through quantitative analysis of survey responses collected by Pew Research Center in conjunction with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. The success of Japan’s cultural and sporting exports highlights their potential and realised role in binding national ties. Furthermore, Tokyo’s hosting of the Summer Olympiad emphasises the role of sport not only as a vehicle for competition and entertainment but also its utility in global engagement.

Die Berücksichtigung von Kindern in den Sozialversicherungen: Reformvorschläge auf dem Prüfstand

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanna Kochskämper
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Social Insurance ◽  
Statutory Health Insurance ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Pension Scheme ◽  
Insurance Scheme ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Additional Burden

AbstractHow to treat families within the German pay-as-you-go financed social insurance systems - this question is repeatedly discussed. A closer look on the statutory pension scheme as well as the statutory health insurance and the care insurance scheme reveals indeed, that people without children are treated to generously within these systems. This will place an additional burden on future generations. Therefore, reforms are necessary. In the statutory pension scheme benefits can be related to the number of children a person raised. In the statutory health and in the statutory care insurance scheme a second, capital funded pillar can be introduced.

scholarly journals Influence, affluence and media salience: Economic resources and lobbying influence in the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 728-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederik Stevens ◽  
Iskander De Bruycker
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
News Media ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Policy Outcomes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Beneficial Role ◽  
The Media

This paper evaluates the circumstances under which affluent interest groups wield influence over policy outcomes. Interest group scholarship is ambiguous about the beneficial role of economic resources for lobbying influence. Economically resourceful groups are often presumed to provide more and better expert information to decision-makers and, in exchange, receive more favourable policy concessions. We argue that the beneficial role of economic resources is contingent on the media salience of policy dossiers. We expect that resourceful groups are more influential when issues are discussed behind the public scenes, while their competitive advantage dampens once issues grow salient in the news media. We test our expectations in the context of European Union policymaking, drawing from 183 expert surveys with lobbyists connected to a sample of 41 policy issues. Our empirical findings demonstrate that economic resources matter for lobbying influence, but that their effect is conditional on the media salience of policy issues.

scholarly journals PHP178 - ROLE OF SUPPLEMENTARY AND COMPLEMENTARY PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE IN SELECTED COUNTRIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. S180
Author(s):  
T. Almasi ◽  
A.N. Fasseeh ◽  
B. Elezbawy ◽  
M. George ◽  
E. Abouelmaged ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
Private Health Insurance
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document