In April, National Cabinet agreed to hold a dedicated meeting on health reform by the end of the year. Based on media coverage this week, it might be a battle about NDIS and GST funding instead. Who pays for what is important, but it will be a missed opportunity if a funding fight displaces discussion of health reform.
National Cabinet’s mandate is to tackle issues of national significance with “genuine partnership”. Health reform certainly fits the bill. The system is groaning under pressure everywhere from GP clinics to emergency departments. And federal and state governments hold different pieces of the puzzle, so they will have to work together to achieve the real change that is needed.
While there have been amazing breakthroughs in treatments and technology in recent decades, the health system itself has remained much the same. The broad outlines were set half a century ago, when Australians were younger and healthier.
Today, half of us have a chronic disease, and about half of those over the age of 65 have two or more. We are living longer, but also living sicker. Of the five years of life the average person has gained since 1990, one will be spent with disease or disability.
Unless Australia makes three long-term reforms to respond to the rise of........