Stephen Duckett
Stephen Duckett, an economist, is an Honorary Enterprise Professor in General Practice and in Population and Global Health at the University of Melbourne, Chair of the Board of Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, and a member of the Strengthening Medicare task force.
Stephen's recent articles
23 October 2016
STEPHEN DUCKETT. Blood money: pathology cuts can reduce spending without compromisinghealth
In the coming weeks I will be posting articles on the high costs and corporate nature of pathology in Australian. The following article by Stephen Duckett in The Conversation, even though posted in February this year, helps set the scene. John Menadue The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) set the cat among the pathology pigeons late last year. One of the governments flagged changes, estimated to save around A$100 million a year, was to abolishthe bulk-billing incentive Labor introduced in 2009.
28 February 2016
Stephen Duckett. Blood money: pathology cuts can reduce spending without compromising health
The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) set the cat among the pathology pigeons late last year. One of the governments flagged changes, estimated to save around A$100 million a year, was to abolish the bulk-billing incentive Labor introduced in 2009. The industry mobilised, threatening to charge consumers significant out-of-pocket co-payments for pathology tests for blood, tissue and other bodily fluids. The threatened increases were well in excess of the A$1.40 to A$3.40 cut to the bulk-billing incentive, which companies received for not charging patients out-of-pocket charges. A campaign was organised, focusing on the increased cost...
8 February 2016
Stephen Duckett. Health in 2016: a cheat sheet on hospitals, Medicare and private health insurance.
We start 2016 as we started 2015 with big challenges for the health system and uncertainty as to how governments will meet them. The health care headaches in 2016 are, in fact, the same ones we faced a decade ago, albeit different in severity and symptoms. They include population growth, ageing and the rise of chronic disease; inequality in access to care and health outcomes; technological change (the good, the bad and the expensive) and the seemingly inexorable rise in health costs. Circling for landing are three major reviews on private health insurance, primary care, and low-value...
18 March 2015
Stephen Duckett. Frequent flyers in health and the way we remunerate doctors.
Time for policy rethink as frequent GP attenders account for 41% of costs. The Commonwealth governments big idea for primary health care in the past year was to charge everyone who visits the GP a A$7 co-payment. The idea had many problems it could have led to a blowout in emergency department demand; it was inequitable; and itmay not have worked anyway. It has finally been abandoned. The failed policy betrayed a simplistic belief that all patients are basically the same. The government thought all patients should make a co-payment and all would respond to it in...