The design and objective of insurance organisations should not rely on seeking savings from claims. If you look at the concept of insurance, from a purely theoretical basis, it is a highly efficient and ethical system aiming to achieve a common good (that is meeting the interest of all member contributors) . It is a far more ethical system than state provision of health services, if it is not abused by anyone (that includes managers and members). It should work, if we all just followed the rules.

John Menadue, a former chair of Qantas, was commissioned by the NSW government in 2000 to review that state’s public health system. He found it leaderless. He says that it is still leaderless. With 26% of the state's budget going into health, we cannot afford a leaderless public health system. The community must take an active role. I recommend that you visit my group’s website.

Public hospitals in the city in my state are in a permanent state of chaos with ambulance stacking, no beds and staff shortages added to the general trend. There should be separate places where drug crazed manics can be taken instead of creating a further shortage and further havoc for all.
Patients are stashed on gurneys or sent home when once they would have been given a bed with treatment.
But there is plenty of money for sport stadiums.
Politicians and their families should be made by law to use public hospitals while they are in public life. Maybe that way, they will be forced to confront the truth.

Firstly - the writer and commenters here should note that politicians' salaries would make them liable for the medicare levy surcharge if they chose to rely solely on the public health system.
Secondly - health is, unfortunatly, one of the spending black-holes that governments have. That is, it doesn't much matter how much money you throw at it - there will never be enough. There are a few other obvious examples of this where you can tip in an extra billion here and there and it doesn't even touch the sides.
Thirdly, in the scheme of things Australia has a pretty good public health system - this is not to say it has no faults, just that its not bad.
Lastly, the US system - for all its faults, has produced some of the finest hospitals, doctors and medical technology in the world. Is that purely accidental?

Here is a link to a website about corporate medicine.

http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmartin/dissent/documents/health/sociopathy.html

It estimated that fraud in the health care system in America cost abut 10% of the One Trillion dollars spent on health in America.

What the Author did not mention is that in the 80's & 90's HMO's and the insurers would split the difference if patients were discharged early.

The Health care sector out performed the financial sector on investor return and was the darling on wall street.

I have looked after Americans in Australia and have been told that it is very easy to move from being comfortable middle class to dirt poor just by getting sick.

Perhaps in the near future Australians will be flying to New Zealand for their health care needs.

Health Insurance is nothing more than a shameful scam that ASIC should have clamped down upon right from the off.
It undermines the National Health Service and the money the Howard, Conservative Government gives to it via the reluctant donator makes it a double scam. If all the money that is given to private health and Medical Insurances was given to the National Health Service we would not be in a mess this Howard Government has put us all in over the last eleven years. The Conservatives have ruined the Natioanal Health Service by stealth by starving the States of what is entitled it used to be 50 x50 now it is States 70 Howard Government 30 and the Conservative media are not reporting this. We will all be seeing SICKO this Thursday night. When we all saw 9/11 the cinema stood up and gave the film a standing ovation.

Rules ? when profit to be made,rules made to be broken if can legally get away with it. CAPATILISM.!

Think the private health system will solve Australia’s problems?You haven’t visited a private hospital for a serious health issue (unless you have loads of money).
I've worked in private and public health, private doesnt have resources for complicated and chronic management to service large percentage of the population, if a small percentage of the population have simple day to day issue, broken bones,birth,etc then fine, pay health insurance + "co-payments" it's solved. get diagnosed with a chronic disease and see what happens if your on average salary.

At 40, months after i dropped private health insurance, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. admitted to a public hospital and went through system, don’t think the private system could have done better,I was well looked after and managed. Afterwards I looked at starting private health insurance again, premium just went up by 50%. Ask a diabetic in the USA if he can even get health insurance, it's a JOKE.

have a cousin in LA, after working 15 years for the same company,being on the same health plan,doctor advised him he had cancer. After being in remission for 5 years, back at work, he cannot get insurance, had to sell his home to cover medical expenses.

WANT TO HEAD DOWN THAT PATH ?
Most bankruptcies in the USA are due to medical expenses,even if you are insured.
DO you really want 5% of your premium to go torards CEO salary bonuses ?

200k+ salary and have private insurance?, then I guess you really don’t care do you.
one day you might get cancer,dementia,diabetes,etc.

solution to stop us heading down the American path,drop your health insurance,enough people do it there will be no such thing as private health in this country,demand from your state/federal govt's to improve the system we have, it’s not perfect,compared to USA it’s 100% better. If they don’t, do what they do in France.

Otherwise we will end up like the USA
Is that what you would like to see ?

How you get ripped off by the government.
Most of us pay medicare levy.
However when you join the private system part of your share goes to the private system.Now thats sounds fair enough.
Heres the sting if you go to a public hospital (as some do as they don't want to pay the gap) you are admitted even though you are not contributing towards the cost of the public system.
So the poor old public patient is subsidising the private.
WHAT A RIPOFF
Private hospitals should be fully paid for by those who use them,the medicare levy should fund public hospitals, if you don't want to use them tough titties.
I had a major accident 15 yers ago and was treated in a public hospital and I could not fault the level of care and it didn't cost me a cent and why should it I pay medicare levy.
The private system distorts the provision of health services and we would all be better off without it, as then the health dollar would be spent where needed instead on the whims of snobs and the bottom line of the investor.

How you get ripped off by the government.
Most of us pay medicare levy.
However when you join the private system part of your share goes to the private system.Now thats sounds fair enough.
Heres the sting if you go to a public hospital (as some do as they don't want to pay the gap) you are admitted even though you are not contributing towards the cost of the public system.
So the poor old public patient is subsidising the private.

Posted by alanpoi, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 12:52:07 AM

Correction, every single person who pays income tax above the exempt level pays the medicare levy, those who earn above 50k for singles also pay the medicare surcharge.

Politicans do not pay the medi care levy on their welfare pension.

Private patients were once treated in public hospitals and their insurance payments helped support the public hospitals, now they are forced to the private system.

Medi care also helps fund the private system. There the medi care payment, the health inurance payment and sometimes gap payments, all going to the shareholders.

So in reality, it is medi care which is subsidizing the Private Hospital sector.

"Lastly, the US system - for all its faults, has produced some of the finest hospitals, doctors and medical technology in the world. Is that purely accidental?" (Quote: JS Mill)

No;....it is obscenely shameful, given the Health Care system in the US.

I see no pride in this, when it runs parallel to what is available to those without cold hard cash to pay for it.

There are many ways we can avoid the disasterous situation in the US. But will Rudd have the intestinal fortitude to take on the powerful vested interests preventing good public health policy?

I would love to see much more agressive government regulatory action and investment to improve the health of Australians through preventative measures. Let's tackle: bad diets, lack for sleep, poor exercise, more early screening for diseases, and address the widespread abuse of alcohol and tobacco. These are some of the neccessary steps for puting Australians on the right track.

Is it too radicle to implement complete bans on advertising food high in fats and sugar aimed at children? How about bringing in much tougher restrictions on the sale and smoking of tobacco. Should healthy lifestyles be given a massive boost through cycleway infrastructure, tax incentives for workplace gyms, massage and relaxation pods? To achieve a healthy fit population, we need clear government direction and encouragement on making the right choices.