A new report from the Grattan Institute found many Australians have delayed or declined medical treatment due to the associated cost.
This report identifies which, with specialist fees found to be a major cause of high out-of-pocket payments.
The report revealed that in 2020-21, 400,000 Australians missed or delayed a doctor’s visit at least once, with nearly 600,000 delaying the purchase of prescription medicine due to high costs. The researchers attributed this to Australia’s high out-of-pocket payments when compared to other developed nations, with 28 percent of Australia’s total healthcare spending left to the individual or 7 billion Australian dollars (about 5.2 billion U.S. dollars) a year.
Read more:
- Not so universal – How to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare payments. Grattan Institute. 2022.