Writer
Jennifer Doggett
Jennifer Doggett is a health policy analyst and consultant who has worked in a number of different areas of the health system, including the federal health department and the community sector, and as a political advisor on health policy. She currently works with the health provider industry and consumer groups on a range of health issues.
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It’s 2050. How is our health system holding up?
Introduction by Croakey: So much of our day-to-day attention is focused on the problems facing healthcare systems now. Lifting our gaze to envision the likely future challenges – say in 2050 – can help set a course forward. Continue reading »
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Reforms and more funding needed to save Medicare
The release of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce report has re-ignited discussions about reform of Australia’s primary healthcare system. Continue reading »
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Dissecting the controversy around Medicare reform and a disappointing response from the ALP
Any plan to change Medicare — especially if it comes from a Coalition government — is bound to attract controversy. So when health minister Greg Hunt announced a fortnight ago that more than 900 items on the Medicare benefits schedule would be changed with just a month’s notice, the reaction was immediate. Continue reading »
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Lobby Land: the Pharmacy Guild’s powerful influence over health policy
The Pharmacy Guild has been called the ‘most powerful lobby group you’ve never heard of’ and for three decades has had a stranglehold on funding for community pharmacy in Australia. Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Even with massive taxpayer hand outs private health insurance is in a death spiral.(Croakey 7.2.2020)
If private health care has a future within the Australian health system we need to find a better funding mechanism than PHI. This means one that is sustainable, fair and efficient and designed to meet the needs of today’s health care consumers with chronic and complex conditions. Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Interpreting Medicare data and bulk billing figures (Croakey)
New Medicare data, released today, has prompted a statement from Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, claiming that “nearly nine out of 10 Australians visit their GPs without paying a cent” and a media interview where he played down the impact of out-of-pocket costs on consumers, attributing any problems to a small group of specialists explaining Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT and LESLEY RUSSELL. Tackling Out-of-Pocket Costs
At the end of February the Federal Government released the report, twelve months in the making, from the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Out-of-Pocket Costs and outlined a national strategy to tackle excessive out-of-pocket costs. It is our opinion that the report’s recommendations and the Government’s response (for a website that provides information about medical Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Healthcare’s out-of-pocket crisis (Inside Story, 24.10.18)
Fast-rising medical expenses are restricting access to healthcare and increasing long-term costs. If two Australian capital cities were suddenly left without any dental services it would be considered a national crisis. But a problem of this size occurs each year and is ignored by governments and policy-makers. In 2016–17, more than 3.4 million Australians — Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. AIHW Health Expenditure Australia 2016-17 report – five key lessons.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has released its Health expenditure Australia 2016–17 report. This report contains detailed data on expenditure throughout our health system and is a valuable resource for governments, policy makers and health stakeholders. Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT and LOUISA GORDON Out-of-pocket costs for healthcare are a problem for all Australians
Editor: Jennifer DoggettAuthor: Louisa Gordon (introduction by Jennifer Doggett)on: June 13, 2018In: Co-payments, health financing and costs, Healthcare and health reform Out-of-pocket health costs (OOPs) are a major challenge facing the Australian health system. Australians pay for a higher proportion of total health care in OOPs than do citizens of almost all OECD countries. In Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Health Budget Gaps.
Prevention, out-of-pocket costs, and oral health. Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. 8th National Health Reform Summit to focus on equity, efficiency and sustainability.
On Tuesday, March 27th the Australian Healthcare Reform Alliance (AHCRA) is hosting the 8th National Health Reform Summit in Canberra. This biennial event brings together organisations, experts and individuals working to improve Australia’s health system. This year’s Summit has a theme of Equity, Efficiency and Sustainability and will focus on developing positions on key health Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Wasting government funds in subsidising private health insurance.
In the lead up to the recent Federal Budget, the Australian Healthcare Reform Alliance (AHCRA) ran a campaign to highlight the inefficiency of using health resources to subsidise private health insurance (PHI). The campaign focussed on calling on the Government to re-direct funding for the $7 billion private health insurance (PHI) rebate to address key areas Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Seven Key messages in Health.
This week the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released its Health expenditure Australia 2014–15 report. This document contains a wealth of information about the way in which we allocate resources across our health system. There are many interesting stories in this data which can help us understand how our health system works and what Continue reading »
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JENNIFER DOGGETT. Midway through the election campaign, how is health travelling?
It’s half way through the election campaign and both major parties have made some significant health policy announcements with Labor outspending the Coalition on health by over $2 billion (over four years). However, despite the fact that health consistently rates as the number one issue for voters, neither major party has satisfactorily addressed the key Continue reading »
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Jennifer Doggett. Co-payments in the Australian Health System
Policy Series. The growing problem of out-of-pocket health care costs in health care is undermining the benefits of Medicare and creating a barrier to increasing fairness, opportunity and security throughout our health system. Out-of-pocket costs are the direct payments made by consumers for their health care which are not subsidized by any form of public Continue reading »
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Jennifer Doggett. Budget 2014 – Primary Health Care
While some commentators are calling this Budget ‘The end of universal health care’ others are seeing some opportunities to improve health system performance, in particular through better collaborations with state-funded health services and programs. The most high profile Budget measures in the primary health care sector are the introduction of new co-payments for bulk billed Continue reading »
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Jennifer Doggett. Cutting waste and costs in health.
Cut expensive and low-value services: Health funding is not allocated to areas which deliver maximum output. We spend too much on expensive low-value services and not enough on preventive, high –value care. Recent research shows that a number of routine tests performed in the Australian health system do not improve clinical outcomes. These include x-rays for lower Continue reading »
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Repost: Co-payments: no rhyme or reason. Guest blogger Jennifer Doggett
This earlier post is reposted as it is relevant to the question of co-payments which a paper submitted to the Commission of Audit has proposed. Australians are often justifiably proud of Medicare and its role in making health care accessible to all in the community. However, a largely unrecognised threat to Medicare is the Continue reading »
