We’re going out on a limb and say that Australia has the most efficient (if not the best) healthcare system in the world. What makes this effective is the funding model (albeit with divided political opinions) which dynamically and economically services people across all demographics and financial standing.
Regulated by the Department of Health and funded by both state and federal entities, the Australian health care is a two pronged system made up of the public and private health sector.
The public system is being taken care by Medicare which enable them access to GP (general practitioners) and hospital services. It provides financial assistance so that Australians can have low cost, if not free, access to medical and hospital care.
Under this, the government predominantly subsidizes the cost of medicines via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, a program of the government created for that purpose.
The Private system provides access to a private treatment in either a public or private hospital or specialist services.
But there’s a catch. To allow them to private facilities, they need first to purchase a private health insurance, which levies a 1% tax on them. This takes off the burden and frees more room for the lower and middle class citizens to take advantage of the public system.
What Services Do I Have Access To?The health care system enables citizens to have access on a wide range of services. In public hospitals, these include acute and moderately-acute care services, geriatric care for old people, palliative care for patients with serious illness, care for people with terminal illnesses, and emergency services.
Public health insurance is funded b by the government through Medicare. Instituted in 1984 and is administered by the federal government, it is additionally financed by a 2% tax levy on citizens earning above a threshold amount, and another 1% on high income earners without private health insurance. The rest is backed by the government.
If eligible, Medicare entitles citizens to a free treatment in a public hospital by general practitioners, free treatments by specialists if a GP refers the patient to a care plan, and claim benefits and payments for
What Do Private Insurance Have to Offer?Currently, only 46% of Australians have private health insurance which can be purchased from any of the private providers. Unlike its public counterpart, private insurance allows a patent to choose where they can be treated and by which doctor. These private practitioners are mainly out-of-hospital medical services. A third of total government expenses on health care goes to private insurance.
The federal government shoulders the following expenses:
2. Other concessions or benefits the patient may be entitled to
3. Further benefits if they reach the Extended Medicare safety net general threshold, of which it will cover either 80% of the out of pocket costs or the benefit cap, whichever is the lower amount.
The remainder of the costs is then shouldered by the patient. Unless he/she goes for a bulk billing.
The patient may have an option to have a provider bill Medicare directly for any medical or health service the patient receives, this is called bulk billing. In this type of arrangement, two things happen:
If a practitioner accepts bulk billing for a service, he/she undertakes to accept the related Medicare benefit as complete payment for the service. He/she cannot raise additional charges for that service.
Last year, the Australian economy spiked up by 3% on the heels of the impending mining boom end, further proving that the lucky country’s financial system is still the well-oiled machinery that it was, and can sustain almost any economic downturn.
And in an age where migration is a matter of survival, Australia is still one of the most popular choices to settle and retire, as shown by its increasing number of migrants.
So, what does the Land Down Under haveto offer? Here are ten of them:
Let’s admit it, when deciding on a new country to settle in, job opportunity comes high on the list. When it comes to this, Australia never disappoints.
At below 5%, it has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. It provides one of the highest minimum wages (even for the casual jobs) and is in constant need of a wide range of skills and specialization to support its ever growing economy.
The 2015 spike isn’t the first time the country endured an economic threat, either. It is in fact one of the very few countries that walked away almost unscathed during the global financial crisis that plunged the western world (mostly Europe) in a revolving door or economic slowdowns and declines.
Majority of Australians are considered middle class, largely due to its meritocratic philosophy, providing jobs to the young and old, in almost every strata of the society.
It’s very nice to settle in a country’s financial hotspot, where you have access to the best the city can offer. But most of the time, as the quality of living gets more lucrative, the crowd follows. Leading to a huge of people competing over smaller spaces, whether it is residential space, commercial centers, or even the cafeteria!
At three people per square kilometer, Australia is the 3rd least dense country in the world. And this still holds true for its major cities (no, we won’t ask you to settle in the Outback). Even if its financial, entertainment, and cultural hotspots continue to thrive, there are still a lot of spaces to move, a lot of freedom to explore, and more places to roam. It never gets crowded nor boring here.
The country’s history itself is rooted in mass migration and immigration from all over the world, making it a perfect haven for any outsiders. Today, it is a paragon of diversity, with one out of every four Australians being born outside the country, and with almost half of them having a parent who is born overseas.
If you will be a foreigner in Australia, have no worries. Because you will also be walking among other foreigners. You will not be judged by your nationality nor skin color but through your skills, work ability, and the capacity to get along with people.
And it also helps that the citizens are collectively taking the effort to battle any remnants of racism and are pushing forth diversity, as everybody recognizes that multiculturalism is what makes the country a better place to live in.
They love diversity so much, they even have a holiday for it: Harmony Day being celebrated every 21st of March.
Having a good job and a lot of nice people around means nothing if you know you can’t walk down the streets during the night without fearing for your life. Australia has taken care of that.
At only 1.1 felonies committed for every 100,000 people, it has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. And while the population is steadily booming, it never curbed the efforts to combat crime. In fact, crime rates are declining as well. And homicide and robbery is even the least you can worry about, the highest number of infraction here are limited to public disorder offences, the type of felony where mostly nobody gets hurt.
This significantly low crime rate is the result of the continuous efforts of the police, sheriffs and bailiffs who constantly patrol and safe guard the population, as well as the citizens’ altruistic attitude towards their fellows, natural-borne and foreigners alike.
As far as the livable regions are concerned, Australia has the Goldilocks climate: neither too hot nor too cold.
During the summer season, it sports a mild to tropical temperature, making it a top destination for those trying to escape the freezing climate of the Northern Hemisphere. During its autumn to winter months, it provides a clear to cool condition, but still with plenty of sunshine.
Because of this moderately warm climate, moving here means you will have fewer stress, more time outdoors, be more physically active, and be safe from the dangers of extreme weather like hypothermia or heat wave, as what always happen in other parts of the world.
A better job and a better quality of life. It is a win-win situation here.
With the combined death of 7.8 million every year, lung, respiratory, and pulmonary diseases may as well be the top global killer we are dealing with these days, surpassing heart illnesses and stroke by a small margin. All of these are caused by air pollution, a major peril among most under-developed and still-developing countries.
But not in Australia. At a pollutant concentration of 8 µg/m3, it has one of the cleanest air in the world. And this number even lower in cities like Melbourne, Illawarra, Geelong, Sydney, Lower Hunter, and Traralgon, all of which hovers at around 5 µg/m3. This mean the residence in the entire continent has healthier cardiovascular and respiratory health, warding off possibilities of acute lung diseases, asthma, lung cancer, and yes, stroke and heart diseases.
With much of the world already developed or still developing, a completely reliable healthcare is still largely the holy grail of good governance. Except here in Australia. Because making sure having a virtually pure air to breathe is still not enough for the government, they also made health care an integral part of their policy for thirty years.
One of the best ranked in the world in terms of health, health equality, responsiveness, responsiveness equality, and fair financial contribution, it offers a two-fold system of public and private health insurances, with the more affluent citizens being encouraged to opt for the private system by levying a 1% tax increase if they ever chose to go otherwise, freeing more room for the middle and lower class population to take advantage of the public system.
For a long time now, Australia has been one of the three most popular destinations for international students (the other two being US and UK).
And why not? The country has some of the most globally recognized universities whose graduates are highly sought after in various fields. These schools offer a diversified range of degrees, trainings, and vocational courses to students who can freely choose which one would best cater to their needs.
And as far technology is concerned, the programs are constantly in the forefront of today’s advancing world. Students have access to most impressive scientific research, data collection, and educational resources available. There aren't many places better than this.
Australia has some of the finest tourist attractions in the world, nature-borne or man-made. And one with the most extreme ranges.
Trek the desserts of the Australian Outback or go skiing on Mt. Buller (yes, in the same continent!). Bewilder at the Sydney Harbor or explore the Great Barrier Reef. Hike the King’s Canyon, trek the Queensland forests, get amazed at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, visit the penguins of Phillip Island, dine in the restaurants of Melbourne, conquer the Blue Mountains, go wine tasting at Claire and Barossa Valleys, or just drive along the Whitehaven Beach. There’s just so many places to visit and so many things to do.
All these wealth of advantages and benefits combined result to happier, less-stressed, and healthier citizens. And the numbers aren’t lying either.
Australia has been praised as one of the happiest countries in the world, with the citizens completely satisfied as far as life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and lack of corruption are concerned.
Not to mention, the country is also one of the three healthiest nations, with life expectancy, causes of death, proportion of young people who smoke, the number of people with raised cholesterol and the number of immunizations factored in. These also lead to Australia being the least-stressed country in the world.
All of these perks, frills, and assets in one beautiful continent from down under.