Australia's universal healthcare is crumbling. Can it be saved?

[Dashinka 25,402]

Interesting take on socialism.

 

Australia's universal healthcare is crumbling. Can it be saved?

 

From an office perched on the scalloped edge of the continent, Victoria Bradley jokes that she has the most beautiful doctor's practice in Australia.

 

Outside her window, farmland rolls into rocky coastline, hemming a glasslike bay striped with turquoise and populated by showboating dolphins.

 

Home to about 3,000 people, a few shops, two roundabouts and a tiny hospital, Streaky Bay is an idyllic beach town.

 

For Dr Bradley, though, it is anything but. The area's sole, permanent doctor, she spent years essentially on call 24/7.

 

Running the hospital and the general practitioner (GP) clinic, life was a never-ending game of catch up. She'd do rounds at the wards before, after and in between regular appointments. Even on good days, lunch breaks were often a pipe dream. On bad days, a hospital emergency would blow up her already punishing schedule.

 

Burnt out, two years ago she quit – and the thread holding together the remnants of the town's healthcare system snapped.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnv56q82vnro

[Ban Hammer 13,982]

utopia is just a few more increases in the tax rate..........

[Boiler 46,844]

Ahh I had read that story earlier today

 

Common scenario, another reason I detest Politicians and not just Australian

 

[Lil bear 4,419]

14 minutes ago, Boiler said:

Ahh I had read that story earlier today

 

Common scenario, another reason I detest Politicians and not just Australian

 

Medicare is at deaths doorsteps every election according to whoever is in power or not in power .. I’m just thankful somewhat in the world still has reasonably peaceful elections .. and a good sausage sizzle. 

[Boiler 46,844]

There has been a similar situation in the UK, in my time the NHS was treated religiously in some sectors, struck me as weird.

 

Things change and if it was not a Government thingy it would have changed a long time ago, but it does not have to. I can think of no end of comaonies I had dealing with when I started work which are not around any longer, or certainly not in the format they were.

 

So we had years of Cons being blamed, one of the reasons Labour won, they of course promised the earth and of course can not implement it as it was never practical. Amusingly they have done a few things that the Cons suggested and were derided foir, the trend continues.

 

I am no fan of the US system, seems a leach that keeps on growing consuming more and more.

[Dashinka 25,402]

8 hours ago, Boiler said:

There has been a similar situation in the UK, in my time the NHS was treated religiously in some sectors, struck me as weird.

 

Things change and if it was not a Government thingy it would have changed a long time ago, but it does not have to. I can think of no end of comaonies I had dealing with when I started work which are not around any longer, or certainly not in the format they were.

 

So we had years of Cons being blamed, one of the reasons Labour won, they of course promised the earth and of course can not implement it as it was never practical. Amusingly they have done a few things that the Cons suggested and were derided foir, the trend continues.

 

I am no fan of the US system, seems a leach that keeps on growing consuming more and more.

I read a story once maybe 4-5 years ago that the almost 60% of the taxes for the UK's NHS went for administration vs actual healthcare.  Not sure if that is better or worse, probably worse as government bureaucracies tend to move toward less efficiency generally.  Now of course the big health insurance firms here in the US are also quite inefficient, but I suspect more efficient than government run insurance.  

 

I am also curious with respect to drug costs, if prices are higher in countries without price controls so drug companies can subsidize countries with price controls.

[Boiler 46,844]

UK has relatively low administration costs, not that a lot of that is wasted.

 

It did amuse me coming back to the US the local forever requests for increased school funding, the number of teachers has increased slighly, the administration has balloned.

 

Does Mexico have Drug Price control, prices there are significanltly lower than the US for the same thing.

[Dashinka 25,402]

35 minutes ago, Boiler said:

UK has relatively low administration costs, not that a lot of that is wasted.

 

It did amuse me coming back to the US the local forever requests for increased school funding, the number of teachers has increased slighly, the administration has balloned.

 

Does Mexico have Drug Price control, prices there are significanltly lower than the US for the same thing.

I don't believe Mexico has price controls on drugs, but their regulations are different which may impact things such as purity of ingredients, etc.  It is a multifaceted problem.  I do my best to stay away from prescriptions if at all possible, and so far I have had good luck there.

[Boiler 46,844]

I brought back exactly the same drug for 1/10th the price. Same box same manufacturer etc etc.

 

My Dog has eye drops, from the Vet it is 3x the price as from Amazon but I can only buy it from Amazon if it is for me.

 

My first US experience was picking up a Prescription and was told to make sure when I paid it was with Insurance, now I did not have many Prescription in the Uk but it was a flat charge on the NHS, often you were advised just to pay for it as it was cheaper. Anyway what Walgreens asked me for was a couple of times more than the flat fee I was used to, we had a discussion about Insurance, I was told this was with Insurance, I was sceptical but it was. 

 

Anyway I did look into it and realised it was a system design issue. No need for it be this way.

[TBoneTX 46,891]

14 hours ago, Boiler said:

I brought back exactly the same drug for 1/10th the price. Same box same manufacturer etc etc.

You echo me:  $549 U.S., $52.50 Mexico.  Same manufacturer.  Only difference was label in Spanish.