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.